You said...

"This is part of doing business for these multinational conglomerates and is factored into their business model, as they look at paying for licensing fees and patent rights on the back end rather than the front end."

Its true name is "STEALING", and they pay "IF THEY GET CAUGHT"

As to how much, it depends how savy are your lawyers...

Lucky for EDIG, we got DM to go get what they can from these ROBBER BARRONS of the 21st Century...

Gil...