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Ok, not as bad as I originally calculated. If that money went to lobbying though, it'd be fair to argue that they'd be closer to solving the fundamental issues there are in patent laws vs. acquiring a portfolio of patents that are only a temp. fix.

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Sadly one has to bring a gun to a duel, because if you are going to wait for gun lobbying to stop your duel, you're probably going to get shot in the meantime.

Not that lobbying isn't good in the long run, but you still need protection right now.

Is there any study that shows the cost of lobbying (in the case of moving major ideas like patents)?

Only after the fact. Successful lobbying has a very high return on investment, but it's also pretty risky.

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