Final answer:
Companies stealing patented technologies is not easily measured, but patents offer imperfect protection, especially in fast-evolving industries, and inventors often gain less value than their inventions generate. Trade secrets serve as an alternative form of protection for valuable intellectual property.
Step-by-step explanation:
The frequency with which companies steal patented technologies from one another can be challenging to quantify due to the legal complexities and proprietary nature of these matters. However, it's known that patents are not a perfect protection system. For instance, in high-technology industries such as biotechnology or semiconductor design, the rapid pace of innovation can render patents almost irrelevant, as technology evolves swiftly, often outpacing the duration of patent protection.
Additionally, even though there has been a substantial increase in patent applications due to the proliferation of the Internet, evidence suggests that inventors receive only a fraction of the economic value from their inventions in countries that have patent systems. In cases where patents or copyrights do not apply, companies rely on trade secrets to protect their intellectual property, such as the famously guarded formula for Coca-Cola.