The following video is part of our "Motley Fool Exclusive Interview" series.

In today's segment, Fool.com analyst Austin Smith interviews acclaimed author and New York Times columnist Charles Duhigg about his recent book The Power of Habit and the iEconomy series he's written for the Times.

Patents are an absolutely essential part of the business landscape today, but the enormous power they wield over companies that rely on intellectual property for profits can also disproportionately favor those that can afford the most. 

One company that seems to have more than anyone else is Microsoft. Despite being a tech laggard recently, it has a patent war chest that is nearly 5 times as large as Apple's.