
I keep reading these patent claims...
And I think, surely there should be some automatic system in place that nullifies any patent that becomes either common knowledge or de-facto standard, or the norm or whatever prior to the patent holder being able to or wishing to enforce their claim.
In other words, if you want to protect your patent, you do it from day one, not when everybody else has already independently stumbled upon the same scenario or solution.
Am I right?
Some of this stuff, although slightly inventive ten years ago, is so old hat now, it's unbelievable!