Is it legal to patent an idea and then not use it?
<p>In the HBO show Silicon Valley, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/SiliconValleyHBO/comments/87eyk8/the_decentralized_internet_patent/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">a patent describing a technique that could replace paid services with free ones</a> is an important plot point. The patent was never used and seems to have never had an intent to be used.</p>

<p>In the United States, is it possible for a corporation to receive a patent for an idea, so that they can <em>prevent</em> it from going to market and hurting their business?</p>

<p>I'm aware that <a href="https://www.inc.com/nick-skillicorn/how-the-current-patent-system-actually-hurts-inventors.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">recent changes have targeted non-practicing entities</a>, but it's unclear to me where the lines are.</p>

<p>Are there any notable real-world examples of this happening?</p>

<p><strong>Edits</strong></p>

<p>I've learned about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_license" rel="nofollow noreferrer">compulsory licensing</a>, but I'm curious about if those laws have been used to force a company to withholding a patent.</p>

<p>There is no "use it or lose it" concept in U.S. patent law. A patent does not even give its owner the right to use their invention, let alone mandate it. A patent, in any country, is fundamentally a right to prevent others from doing something. Some countries do have a "working" requirement, where the patent owner needs to agree to license their patent if they have not commercialized it themselves within a certain time limit. India is an example of a location that has compulsory licensing. 
There is a bias (in my view) against non-practicing entities that affects their ability to get an injunction against infringers. </p>

united-states patents