The inventor is disappearing in another context as well. The patent and trademark office considered first to invent as the rule of who gets Patents for decades in order to protect individual inventors. The US was the only country doing this and the burden of proof led to a ton of expensive litigation. With just 10% of patents claimed by individual investors lately, however, congress overturned the rule. First to file is now the only option and if there are individual inventors left, they have learn how to file quickly and cheaply before trolls and/or corporations take monopoly rights on their work for 20 years.