Why not acquire suitable patents?

A Not-in-House Policy is being enforced by many of the major high-tech companies working with consumers in the search and e-mail and communication industries when it applies to patents offered by outside sources. This may be understandable to a degree when it comes to high technology.

But why have such a policy when patents or pending patents are offered for operations that can be useful to such high-tech companies in their marketing efforts outside high-tech?

Yet, I can attest to this mistaken approach in instances where this policy is taken by the major players who continuously find themselves in a marketing rut when competing with each other. And unfailingly remain in that rut.

Earl Weinreb