The United States has spent the last decade-plus being extraordinarily stupid when it comes to the protection of Intellectual Property (IP).

By that we mean – we have time and again undermined even the most basic IP protections.  Leaving the people who create the things upon which our Information Economy – twisting in the wind.

Our Lack Of Patent Protection Is Destroying America’s Future Economy

This isn’t idle chatter.

Intellectual Property Crisis: U.S. Drops Out Of The Top Ten In Innovation Ranking

Communist China is the world’s biggest IP thief.  To the tune of over $600 billion per year – just from US.

China’s mass IP theft – demonstrates their grasp of the import of IP creation.

And they see our stupidity when it comes to IP protection – as yet another way for them to take advantage of US.

Communist China’s Latest Intellectual Property Con: Stealing IP Creation:

“Read carefully what China is saying about IP – and it becomes clear what they are really doing.

“Which is setting themselves up to be the recipient of the massive investment coin that will leave the US – as our IP protection continues to deteriorate.

“What China is establishing – is the latest version of their China First protectionism.

“China has spent the last several decades doing this to other US economic sectors – most notably manufacturing. The IP pattern and plot-line…is disarmingly similar.”

Back in the US, we have our own raft of IP hypocrites (which opens the door to China’s next prospective theft of another entire American industry).  Massive companies who steal IP creators blind – while simultaneously suing thieves of their IP.

These huge companies feel free to do this – in no small part because of the decade-plus of IP-anti-protection-stupidity in which we’ve engaged.

In a sane world, huge companies would simply pay the IP creators for their IP.  But we have created an un-sane world.  In which we have so undermined IP protections – huge companies look it as more cost effective to steal the IP.

And force IP creators to waste billions of dollars on lawyers and lawsuits – to get their money from the huge companies.

Billions of dollars all reasonable people would much rather have IP creators spend on…you know, IP creation.

Except most IP creators – are small guys.  Who can’t afford to take on in court these huge company thieves.

The huge company thieves – count on this.

Way too often – the huge company thieves simply walk away with their heisted IP.  Leaving the small guy creators – high and dry.  Without the means they should have been paid – to keep creating.

When its two huge companies involved in the IP theft – to the courts we often go.  A hypocritical, litigious circular firing squad that wastes massive time and gigantic money.

When one huge company isn’t stealing someone else’s IP – they’re suing to protect their IP another huge company stole.

It’s unfathomably absurd.

Microsoft Sues Samsung in U.S. Over Patent Royalties

Today in Apple History: Microsoft Gets Sued for Ripping Off Mac OS

Microsoft Sues Apple Over App Store Trademark

Salesforce .com Sues Microsoft for Patent Infringement:

“Salesforce.com has sued Microsoft for patent infringement, making a move in response to an intellectual property suit Redmond filed against the on-demand CRM (customer relationship management) vendor last month.”

Microsoft, Oracle Sued: Tech Duo Accused of Trampling DB Patents

Oracle Sues Rimini Street for Intellectual Property Theft

Major Damages Sought in Oracle-Google Patent Dispute

Google Wins Android Intellectual Property Case Against Oracle over Java

Alphabet Sues Uber Over Alleged Stolen Intellectual Property

Google, Intellectual Ventures Case Over Patents Ends in U.S. Mistrial

And round and round and round we go….

Mega-thief, mega-hypocrite Apple – deserves a special section all its own.

Apple Sues To Get Paid For Their Intellectual Property – And To Not Pay For Everyone Else’s

Apple sues:

Apple Sues Samsung, Says It Copied iPad

Samsung Wins Appeal In $120M Patent Fight With Apple

Apple Sues New York Counterfeiters for Trademark Infringement

And Apple gets sued:

Apple Sued for Patent Infringement in Two Lawsuits

Apple Is Being Sued for Patent Infringement by a Native American Tribe

Apple Ordered to Pay $533 Million in iTunes Patent Lawsuit

Apple has even devised a whole new way to steal IP.  Setting a REALLY bad precedent – in the US, and all over the world:

Apple Lawsuit Could Impact How Courts View Antitrust Cases

Here’s the story:

Apple hasn’t paid uber-inventor Qualcomm for its wireless device patents – since April of 2017.

Qualcomm Sues Apple Over Patents, Seeks Limited Ban on iPhone Imports

To try to get out of paying Qualcomm for Qualcomm’s IP, Apple stole Qualcomm’s IP – by teaching Qualcomm rival Intel how do recreate what Qualcomm created:

Qualcomm Sues Apple, Alleging It Shared Chip Code with Intel

Then Apple has this much additional audacity:

Apple’s COO Says Qualcomm Refused to Provide Chips for 2018 Phones

Dear Apple: If you considered paying Qualcomm for the chips – I’m quite sure Qualcomm would happily provide them.

Which brings us back to Apple’s awful antitrust attempt:

Apple Sues Qualcomm For $1B Over Alleged Antitrust Violations

If successful, Apple will entirely destroy all Intellectual Property protections everywhere.  Which is cataclysmically no bueno.

Which means all of Apple’s IP – will go away.

Which means all the lawsuits Apple has filed to protect its IP – will go away.

Which means the entirety of the environment to create anything IP – will go away.

The solution to this merry-go-round of stupid – isn’t to undermine IP protections.

We’ve serially tried that – for more than a decade.  It’s made things demonstrably worse.

The solution – is to restore the IP protections we’ve eviscerated.

Re-make the protections so strong and ironclad – prospective thieves will wince at the possibilities…and just pay the IP creators for their creations.

Which is what everyone should have all along been doing.