EMI is no longer publicly traded. Private equity firm Terra Firma now owns EMI.

Invisible "black" dot. 8-bit graphics. Stickin' it to "the man" for much deserved credit. A classic from the Atari age.

The example of the 100-mpg car that was patented isn't realistic, but it illustrates the problem with the patent-kept-another-invention/innovation-from-happening argument. First, you wouldn't patent a car, per se. You would patent the systems, processes, etc. that enabled the astonishing mpg. Second, if someone did have a patent for a 100-mpg car, it would pay (in the most ginormous way) to license your technology to other enterprises with the capital to do something about it. Just saying...

More likely Google, and others, would have developed. Once "search" companies became successful, a lawsuit would have forced (in the event of a legal setback/settlement) payment of royalties by the viable companies. Better than venture capital if you own the patent and a bankroll to defend...

As an investor in Terra Firma's last 2 funds, I can tell you that Guy Hands and his team are smart cookies. TF often invests where others fear to tread--industries in desperate need of change. More often than not, they've been successful in their turnaround efforts. While that doesn't guarantee success with EMI, the music biz certainly seems broken. This "memo" made news this weekend, but it is similar to what we've been hearing for some time. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how this one plays out--fingers crossed here. To read more about Terra Firma and it's previous investments see www.terrafirma.com. Slashdotters might be interested in TF's renewable energy business, Infinis, which was created out of a landfill business, Waste Recycling Group, and now accounts for something like 10-11% of the renewable energy in the UK.