I think people lose sight of just what patents are for; they are to encourage innovation. From the US Consitution: "To promote the Progress of Science and usef

I think people lose sight of just what patents are for; they are to encourage innovation. From the US Consitution: "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries" Software patents as currently practiced do not serve this purpose. Imagine if you were a writer and the words you commonly used for you craft were "owned" by others? This is the situation now for software developers.