Is our patent system a failure?

Our patent system is working. The authors of “Patent Failure” are a voice for large multinational interests that would rather steal our inventions than pay for them. (“Patently ineffectual system hinders innovation,” Business Bookshelf, June 30.)

All this talk of a need for patent reform is a red herring fabricated by a handful of large tech firms as a diversion away from the real issue -- that they have no valid defense against charges they are using other parties’ technologies without permission.

It’s not about reforming the system. It’s about legalizing theft. When corporate America agrees to stop using our inventions without consent, inventors and small entities will agree to stop suing them.

Stephen Wren

St. Louis, Mo.