Another example: MIT was granted a patent for a "Series Elastic Actuator" many years ago. The thing was a complete scam. The application should have been rej

Another example: MIT was granted a patent for a "Series Elastic Actuator" many years ago. The thing was a complete scam. The application should have been rejected outright. I have robots, dating back to the early '80's and before, that use "series elastic" actuators. The idea of inserting an elastic element between a motor and a load to control force and dynamics predates that application by at least a few decades. Yet the USPTO accepted the application and granted it. The world of technology patents is filled with these kinds of "inventions" that should have never been given USPTO protection. Sadly it can cost millions of dollars to do the right thing and invalidate even one of them. Perhaps what should be done is to put in place a free patent challenge process. If you don't have a real invention it should cost you money to defend against people calling you out for filing fake inventions. One of the side effects of this might very well be that people and companies will think twice before engaging in patent application carpet bombing in order to gain a lock on a market based on a non-invention. We all lose when bullshit patents are granted. We all win when patents (software or hardware) cover real invention, because it is likely someone invested real resources and found real insight with which to solve a real problem. They deserve to benefit from their efforts and insight for a reasonable amount of time, after which the new knowledge becomes public.