> Patents remain relevant and valuable in fields beyond software, where product development and basic R&D costs a hell of a lot more than it does in our little

> Patents remain relevant and valuable in fields beyond software, where product development and basic R&D costs a hell of a lot more than it does in our little field. There's evidence that innovation increases without patents. http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100421/1451179133.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100421/1451179133.shtml http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/study_says_patents_hinder_innovation.php http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/study_says_patents_hind... http://blog.mises.org/10217/yet-another-study-finds-patents-do-not-encourage-innovation/ http://blog.mises.org/10217/yet-another-study-finds-patents-... Patents are rent seeking agreements and have long since been outdated, if they ever made sense. Basically, I think of patents in the same light as special interest groups. They promote the welfare of the few at the expense of the rest.