Even for this 63%, applicants frequently had to settle for a far smaller scope of protection than initially sought.

FORBES: Keep the Current Standard for Invalidating a Patent

But the real baffling part about all this is that the CFPB will have a much greater scope of consumer protection to manage than the SEC.

FORBES: Obama's New Consumer Protection Agency Will Have No Teeth

Dodd and Shelby suspended bipartisan talks in the last few weeks after not being able to agree over some key items, including the scope of a new consumer protection agency.

FORBES: About Sheila Bair

And it will mean less tension between the sellers of protection (who want the swaps' scope as narrow as possible) and buyers (who want it to be as wide as possible).

ECONOMIST: Credit derivatives

Mr Grayling said he wanted Sir James to "consider if you might extend the scope of your work on transparency in the family courts to include arrangements for the Court of Protection".

BBC: Court of Protection openness call by justice secretary

If that weren't enough, the very scope of patents themselves has come under legal attack, with cases being argued in court to determine whether broadening protection or narrowing it hastens or hinders innovation.

FORBES: The smother of invention