Comment by procaryote
2 days ago
The original point of a patent is a good one: document your work publicly and in return get a window of time to profit from said work. It was intended to improve innovation by making people not hide their work.
It wasn't really designed for people patenting vague concepts, math or ideas.
If you build a better mousetrap, a patent is pretty good. If you have a vague idea you might show ads in elevators, you should A: just be shot, and B: not get a patent
But today with software you can publish just a generic description and do not disclose actual algorithms and formulas, so there is no value for everyone else. For example, you could patent a program that "chooses the best investment options using AI" without describing any details even if you don't know how to actually implement this.
(Well after I posted this comment you can't anymore)
"Add something to a digital shopping cart", "Minigames on a loading screen". If I can replicate it without reading any details in your patent, it's not patent worthy.
> For example, you could patent a program that "chooses the best investment options using AI" without describing any details even if you don't know how to actually implement this.
That’s not true. I have several issued US patents and while you don’t publish the code, you certainly have to disclose enough high level details that another person versed in the art would be able to implement it.
Patents come from a quaint time when startup capital was non-existent.
Today, they are simply a giant anchor on the speed of innovation.
The software world has flourished with effectively very little patent protection and very lax IP enforcement.
And in the hardware world China quickly commoditizes and copies everything, regardless of US patents anyways.
The only real moats in modern capitalism come from talent, marketing, distribution, and regulation.
Patents are now just a weaponized form of regulation useful for kneecapping domestic competitors. They hurt the local economy more than helping it.
No, this has had extensive research. Patents slowed down both inventors and industries deploying new technologies. The story that it would enable a period of time for direct profits turned out to be false. There is more to be made by simply moving forward with adoption of new inventions.