The bit about the patent is a little depressing. I wonder how many novel bits of technology were shuttered because some big company had some similar patent that they'll never use outside of lawsuits and as an asset for mergers and acquisitions. "We have the 'read security card with optics' patent. Its worth a lot!" Government mandated monopolies on ideas is just a bad idea.

Everytime I think about starting a company or investing in tech, stuff like thinks makes me reconsider.