Ask HN: Are patent-lawyers like arms-dealers?

[sdoering]

OK, headline might be a bit "over the top", but:

Over the last month I was watching the patent "wars" and just now it struck me. Who always wins is the specialized patent-lawyers.

So are these lawyers structurally the same as arms dealers, who (in times of war) profit from both sides?

I know, real arms do kill people, lawyers not so much. But the structural similarities did strike me.

Am I totally wrong? What do you think?

[morganwilde]

I don't think the parallel is accurate, in the sense that arms-dealers provide the arms with which you can then inflict damage if you choose to, and patent lawyers are only needed when you already have the "gun", I.e. a patent, and also have chosen to fire it. To put things simply, without the arms dealer you are not a threat, because you have no gun, but with or without the patent lawyer you HAVE the patent and thus can be a threat.