They can’t use your algorithms unless you disclose them, or they’re straightforward to invent or reverse-engineer. The patent system is (supposed to be) a trad

They can’t use your algorithms unless you disclose them, or they’re straightforward to invent or reverse-engineer. The patent system is (supposed to be) a trade: you tell everyone how to do something you invented, and in return your are granted a monopoly on exploiting it for a while (whether by using or selling it yourself, or by licensing same to others), after which anyone can use it. The alternative is trade secrets: you don’t tell anyone how to do it, so no one else can do it. And this works just fine with software.