Andy Grove gave an interesting speech beginning of May, where he criticized the current state of patent usage http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-10232355-64.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksArea.0.

He compared the patents to mortgage backed securities, derivatives that have moved far away from the actual underlying product. They became a product by themselves but have become less and less useful in their original intent to make the inventor rich and to let the society benefit.

Interesting read.