I completely agree that the current system is broken. I just disagree that we should abolish the system entirely. Some very smart people saw this need and I d

I completely agree that the current system is broken. I just disagree that we should abolish the system entirely. Some very smart people saw this need and I don't think they were wholly wrong. Personally, I think the problem with patents is the are of the "who did it first" variety when they should only be of the "no one would have come up with this without me" kind. That is, if your "idea" involves scribbling something obvious down and sending off for a patent as soon as possible (e.g. this new in-App purchase patent is a good example) then it shouldn't be patentable. For me, I would see something patentable in how Apple did the iPad. Everyone was trying things in the tablet space for years but it wasn't until the iPad that we all finally got it. I would also make patents shorter and non-renewable. Renewable patents are just a monopoly on ideas.