Synopsys is the dominant player in the commercial EDA and semiconductor IP markets so it is always interesting to hear what John Koeter, Vice President of Marketing for IP, Services and System Level Solutions, has to say. John presented "The Role of IP in a Changing Landscape" at the SemiCO IMPACT Conference and I talked to him again at DAC 2012. John and I are science fiction fans and agree that fiction sometimes becomes fact. John and I both are currently reading a new David Brin book called Existence. Too early to tell if it will finish strongly but it certainly opens with some interesting ideas including people in the near future who wear VR glasses to see virtual advertisements (real advertisements are banned — bad for the environment). Deals are concluded with a handshake duly witnessed by the goggles and immediately backed up to a secure site creating a legally binding contract. The glasses can also tap into other people POV (if unencrypted).