legal density

first a disclaimer:
i have a lot of admiration and respect for the legal profession and i also have a few good friends who are lawyers..
now the story for this post:
i was recently invited to witness a worldwide simulcast of an 'IP auction', that was being conducted in Europe.
intrigued, i went to the event - where there were some discussions on what is needed for an ecosystem to create more IPs and another discussion on the role of collaboration between industry, academia and government.
unfortunately, i could not connect with many of the speakers, as they all seemed to be more interested in establishing their credentials and track record more than address the topic.
with the exception of a couple of others, it appeared that the event was full of lawyers.
probably there were more lawyers per square inch than vehicles during peak hour traffic in Bangalore.
anyway - coming to the auction - it looked like an attempt to create a secondary market - along the lines of the stock market.
i have never understood the stock market [or the financial services in the secondary and tertiary markets, though i have been providing some technology solutions in that space]. as it all appears unreal and removed from the real value being created by manufacturing or services industries.
in a way, it is probably good because this created revenue opportunities for others, than just the inventor.
one day, when my ideas are patented, this might also help me realize more value for those..
till then, i choose to remain a sceptic.