I would say it depends on the nature of the patents in question. If the knowledge described in the patents directly helped Samsung build a product then it migh

I would say it depends on the nature of the patents in question. If the knowledge described in the patents directly helped Samsung build a product then it might be legit. If, however, the end product in an Android phone would have looked the same without the patent being published, then it treating knowledge like physical property -- whoever staked a claim first gets exclusive use of it, regardless if others can independently discover the same thing. This in my opinion is more harmful then useful. Kind of like if someone owns a rectangular piece of land that was 2.3 acres, then they automatically own all parcels of land that are rectangular and 2.3 acres.