Make no mistake: patents are monopoly rights given to justify R&D. The "revealing" doctrine is largely obsolete. Modern patents say virtually nothing of how a

Make no mistake: patents are monopoly rights given to justify R&D. The "revealing" doctrine is largely obsolete. Modern patents say virtually nothing of how a invention works that can't be found by easily in a product description - or at most cursory reverse engineering. The true secret-sause is kept behind closed doors. However, more and more it appears the societal value of patents isn't realized, and in fact the majority actually decrease competition and research in a field.