I spoke to my patent attorney about this some years ago, and he confirmed that this is indeed the case. Very often similar or identical patents are being filed

I spoke to my patent attorney about this some years ago, and he confirmed that this is indeed the case. Very often similar or identical patents are being filed within a very short timeperiod. Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Grey's filing of the telephone patent is a good example. They didn't have a name or a cause for it other than pocket philosophy, but it's a generally accepted truth that can be easily observed in their everyday work.