I kind of agree with you. More specifically, to your example, would Snapchat, Whatsapp, etc, have been served well in this case by specifically patenting their

I kind of agree with you. More specifically, to your example, would Snapchat, Whatsapp, etc, have been served well in this case by specifically patenting their implementations of specific features? Like Facebook just totally ripped off Tinder with their new Dating feature -- could Match have just patented the profile with heart/pass buttons and then have grounds to sue?