> Ideally the patent system is not so complex that it itself requires as much or more study to be expert in than the actual subjects of the patents Unfortunate

> Ideally the patent system is not so complex that it itself requires as much or more study to be expert in than the actual subjects of the patents Unfortunately, "patent law" is a complex body of laws, legal decisions, and specialized procedures large enough to be its own distinct specialization for lawyers. While it's not impossible to become an expert in it without years of study, it is definitely not possible to be excellent at it. Just to put it in perspective, the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure alone weighs in at over 4K pages of text. https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/index.html https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/index.html