Patents are supposed to protect the inventors of products to give them time to recoup their investment it took to create the invention. The theory is patents cause innovation because people would innovate less if they knew someone could immediately copy their work and so there would not be much incentive to innovate. That's the theory and I used to believe it.

Patents probably have their place. But in today's world I see them more as a high level entry point where large corporations can stymie small entrepreneurial inventors and keep them out of the market. Or like in Monsanto's case, have a perpetual patent on seeds by changing the genetics just slightly every few years to always keep everything on patent. Companies with big lawyer budgets can sue small firms for patent infringement even if their case is very sketchy but make the small firm give up because of the legal costs.

Patents are far more valuable to the big firm than the individual inventor in my opinion. A big government high hurdle so big business can keep control and keep the small business out of the market. Patents have a place and we need them. But they have run amok, like much of our government, and need reform. They stymie inventions as much as protect and encourage them. In my opinion they are not serving the public good like they were designed to do.

John