No, they are a restraint on original creation. If your original creation is conceptually similar to something else filed with a bureaucrat, you lose your origin

No, they are a restraint on original creation. If your original creation is conceptually similar to something else filed with a bureaucrat, you lose your original work. If you are a small company, and someone claims that it's similar, then you probably loose your work regardless of whether it's similar. Patents are neo-feudalism.