http://volokh.com/posts/chain_1240849478.shtml http://volokh.com/posts/chain_1240849478.shtml is a better link. The content is really in those 3 links at the bo

http://volokh.com/posts/chain_1240849478.shtml http://volokh.com/posts/chain_1240849478.shtml is a better link. The content is really in those 3 links at the bottom. His basic point as I understand it is that there never really was the good old days of the patent system and that it has been broken since long before computers. People have always had to pool patents to make progress.