Using examples of actual patents and patent portfolios of real technology businesses, this practical and engaging book provides key insights and perspectives on the reality of how patents are used and abused in the technology business. It explains often misunderstood patent phenomena, such as how and why invalid patents are issued by the patent office, and covers important topics frequently ignored or glossed over, including provisional patent applications, independent inventors, obviousness, and the dynamic interplay between infringeability and patent validity.