Patent-jacking

The March 10, 2016 episode of Elementary titled "Hounded" presents the term "patent-jacking."

Sadly, the term is used in two different contexts.

Of relevance to the story line is simply the concept of investors in small companies taking control of those companies and their intellectual property. Nothing too exciting there. And one recalls the sage of Edison, Morgan, and General Electric, wherein Edison was effectively "voted out" of the company after the merger effected by Morgan. Edison would be a victim of this "patent jacking."

But, in the episode, Sherlock talks about Edison as a patent-jacker. But in the context of hearing ideas from other inventors and simply taking them. No investment, but simply theft. If the other inventor had filed for a patent, patent-jacking might be a bit difficult, although if the patent-jacker had high-priced lawyers, who knows....

A character in "Hounded" is Henry Baskerville, likely playing on Sir ARTHUR CONAN Doyle's novel "The Hound of the Baskervilles."

"Hounded" also contains some interesting lines about government contracts, including overblown promises in proposals,
and secrecy surrounding the research.