&gt; Why not raise the price of patents substantially?<p>Because it is not only rich people that are innovative? As far as I can see, if anyone is going to have their IP secured by the state, then money should not be the barrier to entry.<p>You could argue that if an idea is good enough, the inventor should be able to secure funding to get the patent. However, there is frequently an issue of timing with these things -- one needs to secure the idea as soon as possible. See the story of the two patent filings for the telephone.<p>Besides, patent trolling is popular because it is extremely profitable. Doubling or tripling the cost of patents will not deter any serious troll.