However the last two corporations I worked for had this asinine attempt to force coworkers into social contact with each other.

That's funny in a sad way, considering how badly corporations have broken THE social contract.

All of the ones I see are secured, but two of them are WEP which these days is like locking your door with duct tape......but technically it's secured.

Yes, but only if they are willing to share it freely with other dogs outside the company.

They invents a TON of technology, but everyone uses it without licensing. So they are dying.

They actually invent things,
People rip them off,
and on /. THEY are the bad guys.

This has nothing to do with patent trolls. Nothing at all.

The only thing worse then in ignorant post is the person saying it should be modded up.

what 40 year old patent? huh ?
This is about newer stuff.
Technicolor SA was formerly Thomson SA and Thomson Multimedia.

Where you listening to MP3s 40 years ago?

Twit.

They have been developing technology since the 50s. If it was a technology developed in 1950, there wouldn't be a story.

"The patent system is supposed to exist to allow inventors to have time to get their product to market"
wrong wrong WRONG.

The patent system is design so inventor have control of what they want to do with their patent.
If that means sitting on it, then so be it. If that means selling it to a company then so be it.

"The patent system was not intended to protect an idea for eternity, "
And it doesn't.

" How much did the actual talent make for coming up with the patent? $10?"
irrelevant.

" The guy that invented the laser used in Blueray got a $100 giftcard and a plaque"
and his paycheck he got every month.
He worked to invent something for a company that paid him. Irrelevant to the conversation.
I wrote coed that saved a company a billion a year. I got a football and 1000 dollar bonus.

For me I seem to be much more productive with music. Mostly when I am coding. Writing code is rather easy and if I don't have music, my mind will wonder and I will spend more time in my thought then writing code.