Here's one case where patents can delay innovation more than they can innovate it. It all boils down to people becoming greedy and want to make profit out of it rather than help induce techonological advancement. Exactly what the article says: unless they can produce the actual goods, better not give them the patents. It does give the impression that they're buying patents non-existing but very big potential technology with the purpose of selling them later at a higher price to those who actually discovered means of creating the technology. Much like old problems of the financial sector--some asymmetric information is brewing: do they really have the technology or not? Additional government regulation, anyone?