"[P]atents are being used to effectively block progress in certain areas for years (because many researchers can't or won't pay license costs." This is mitigat

"[P]atents are being used to effectively block progress in certain areas for years (because many researchers can't or won't pay license costs." This is mitigated to some extent by the research exception: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_exemption https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_exemption.