Are We Too Critical of the U.S. Patent System?

The five biggest patent creators in the United States between 2007 and 2012 are IBM (NYSE:IBM), Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ), and Micron (NASDAQ:MU), according to FastCompany.

Additionally, researchers from the Brookings Institution found that, despite the United States dysfunctional patent system, patents are actually playing a huge part in American tech innovation.

One not so surprising finding was that a disproportionate amount of patents come out of the San Francisco, San Jose, New York, Boston and Los Angeles areas. The study found that 63 percent of patents come from areas holding just 34 percent of the U.S. population.

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