Re: TLDR - properly.
Funny thing it is this, "innovation". A few days ago I accidentally stumbled upon the "sun and planet gear" mechanism - as nifty as it is, what struck me was that it was patented by James Watt (yes, that one) as a necessity to get around the patent of the crank, already held by someone else. I kid you not - the idea that a thing going back and forth can be connected to another thing going round and around with a straight piece of metal was already locked up behind a patent. Not something non-obvious like, say, a differential drive - no: the bloody crank, that HAD to have naive prior art miles long. My respect for mr. Watt grew considerably that day (irrespective of whether he did it on principle or out of avarice, and of the fact that he didn't invent it himself) for not giving in to what must have been the equivalent of patent trolling back then, and sunk and equal amount for the patent system in general (if that was even possible anymore), whether we are talking about the USPTO or any other equivalent institution. Patents may have their uses, but even no patents at all would be better than the miserable bullshit we have now...
Biting the hand that feeds IT
