Not exactly. If you look on your friendly dollar bill, you will see "this note is legal tender for all debts public and private." Turns out USG says you can p

Not exactly. If you look on your friendly dollar bill, you will see "this note is legal tender for all debts public and private." Turns out USG says you can pay both taxes and court settlements with that paper. It's not just a belief that makes it valuable, it's the weight of the government of the largest economy on the plant and it's promises. Turns out the promises of Zimbabwe carry less weight. Interestingly though, your comparison between money and patents seems very good. Both are sheets of paper that USG promises to enforce with it's legal system.