I'd counter that by saying that I don't believe it's fair to monopolise the market as a defensive measure for "just in case". And in the event that someone comes up with the same idea (perhaps they're a smaller company than you), you get the government to criminalise them for having the same idea as you.
In effect, you believe it is fair to interfere with other people's private (intellectual) property for your own gains.
A good example of Apple doing this very behaviour are some of their recently awarded NFC patents.
Thats right. For everyone bitching that there was no NFC actually in the iphone 5, the question as to why people believed it would have NFC is because Apple has been actively throwing patent applications at the patent office for NFC related tasks.
http://www.engadget.com/tag/apple,nfc,patent
A strong example is the patent that was recently awarded for "Airport Checkin"
The text of this patent is:
There is provided a method and system for transportation check-in (e.g., ticketing and identification) via near field communication (NFC) using a handheld electronic device, such as a cellular phone or a personal media player. The handheld device may store and transmit travel reservations and traveler identifications using a travel management application. Various methods may be employed to acquire the reservation and identification information on the handheld device. For example, travel reservations may be made via the management application or may be retrieved from an email, a website, another NFC-enabled device, or a carrier-provided confirmation number. User identification may be acquired by scanning a radio frequency identification tag embedded in a government-issued I.D. In another embodiment, an I.D. number may be entered via the travel management application, and the user's identification information may be downloaded from the issuing authority.
with the "drawing" of
Thats right. Apple has patented using NFC to check in at an airport. not the software of doing it. Not the actual chips for doing it. not the booths, not the receptacles. They patented the ACT of checking in with NFC. That means if any other company develops an actual system to do this, Apple would legally have every right to sue and stop them, Even if apple never actually releases their own NFC.
This is a perfect example to me of both patents that are too broad in scope and definition, that outline the outcome of a task and not the tasks themselves to complete it, and of a patent being done exclusively to inhibit innovation by blocking other companies from doing what they were trying to do in the first place (as NFC was designed exclusively for this sort of task alongside payment).
While they haven't actually sued anyone over this yet, owning it gives them this power.