Basically your article demonstrates a breathtaking sense of entitlement. You believe that being first to market with an idea should give you the right to ban anyone else from entering the same market space and hold up innovation in it. I'm sorry but what you describe your customer as doing is NOT "IP theft", but LEGITIMATE COMPETITION. If you can't handle competition, then you shouldn't be in the tech business. You say that you "took the hit and moved onto our next R&D project". Well yes, that is what you are supposed to do when your product is no longer novel you innovate. But when you do so, you should not whine like a cry-baby that other people have "stolen" your idea. That is what Apple are doing. They employ "legions of attorneys not so much to protect their innovations as to try to outlaw their competition in the hope of gaining an monopoly position so that they do not have to innovate. Unfortunately, as seen in the recent judgement, patent laws are too often biased in favour of the claimant, making it easy to sue over frivolous patent claims. And IP law is too often used as a substitute for innovation NOT as a way of protecting it. Apple should be trying to compete in the market place and NOT in the courtroom. And so should you be.