The entire thing is just a mindboggling pile of bullshit.

I'm in the software industry and that's generally how many think about software patents. IP laws, to me, are pretty ridiculous. I like Ben Franklin's approach which was basically along the lines of keep innovating and adding value and leave everyone else behind. Anything backed by the coercive force of government is, to me, a bad idea to begin with. Good ideas don't require force.

That said, I also deeply care about original creators and hate to see them being taken advantage of. I hope our technology can provide solutions to provably show (via notarization through the blockchain, maybe?) who the original authors are and reward them accordingly.