The problem is that the patent system is a) broken and b) very abused.
It's at the point where companies will go out and patent everything they possibly can, in order to protect themselves. Then, when company A decides to sue company B for patent infringement, company B simply finds a patent of theirs that company A is infringing, and they counter-sue then call it even.
It's utterly ridiculous, but it's common and considered normal these days. For example, the Qualcomm / Broadcom patent lawsuits. Cisco does the same thing.
It's at the point where companies will go out and patent everything they possibly can, in order to protect themselves. Then, when company A decides to sue company B for patent infringement, company B simply finds a patent of theirs that company A is infringing, and they counter-sue then call it even.
It's utterly ridiculous, but it's common and considered normal these days. For example, the Qualcomm / Broadcom patent lawsuits. Cisco does the same thing.