One of the most powerful forces driving business people is the
often unacknowledged desire to build a monopoly. This is not
because they like to flout the competition rules or gouge the
market. It is simply because they want their firm to be the biggest
and the best, and that means eliminating the competition. It is
part of the DNA of a go-getting executive. It is what makes them
successful, but it is also sometimes gets them into trouble.
Look at the pharmaceuticals industry. It is built on the
monopoly concept: you invent a compound, patent it and then have
the exclusive rights for a long time. The industry has always
claimed that this is necessary for them to recoup the cost of
research, and that is true. It is also true that its livelihood
depends patenting one blockbuster after another and then milking
them for all they are worth. Only recently have we woken up to the
fact that this doesn't necessary produce the medicines that
patients actually need and that in
