I think they were a great idea for a time when a product could be easily taken apart and reimplemented based on looking at its physical components. You've actu

I think they were a great idea for a time when a product could be easily taken apart and reimplemented based on looking at its physical components. You've actually got it somewhat backwards--patents were in large part originally motivated by inventions where reverse engineering was not possible--metalworking techniques, for instance. By granting a temporary monopoly, patents would encourage inventors to publish their ideas. Otherwise, to protect their advantage, inventors would keep their methods secret, preventing others from improving on them and eventually taking the secret to the grave with them. In that situation, I think anyone would be hard-pressed to argue that patents were a bad idea.