Big Tech Has Eviscerated America's Patent System

Google founder Larry Page's first patent -- U.S. Patent Number 6,285,999 -- describes the search algorithm that later became one of the most powerful tools in human history. Mr. Page and his colleagues turned that patent, which was licensed from Stanford, into a trillion dollar company -- and revolutionized the internet in the process.

But now, having reached the commanding heights of the economy, Google and other technology giants -- with some help from their allies in Washington -- are trying to weaken patent protections and thus prevent a new generation of startups from climbing the ladder.