This is the double bind. You can't go looking because you're penalized. Yet the PTO and patent community refers to patents as "teachings". I continually heard

This is the double bind. You can't go looking because you're penalized. Yet the PTO and patent community refers to patents as "teachings". I continually heard that. "This patent 456 teaches that yadda yadda bing-bap-boom" and your very soul (well, professional career) is pillar-of-salt material if you even go look. And yet, none of the really hard stuff seems to be patented. Or I could just be bitter. Or both :-) "Let's see if someone's got prior art on (super whiz-bang technology)." Click, page, click . . . "Wait, no--" "Oh crap, I just read someone's hash table patent. Pass me another mind-wipe pill, would you?" "Sigh. I'll have them hire another lawyer downstairs." Which is what it's really about these days. Ka-ching, baby.