This doesn't really apply to software; how many features have the various social networks added that are copies of each other?
Conversely, the success of the web is entirely dependent on not hitting patent walls. We've all seen the problems of app stores with arbitrary rules and 30% taxes; if there had been a patent on, say "using images in a web browser", how much money would the holder have extracted and how many arbitrary rules would we have had to deal with?
Yup we're in agreement here. For software I agree that there is rarely if ever a point to have patents. That doesn't really counter my point above nor does it mean all patents are bad.
Conversely, the success of the web is entirely dependent on not hitting patent walls. We've all seen the problems of app stores with arbitrary rules and 30% taxes; if there had been a patent on, say "using images in a web browser", how much money would the holder have extracted and how many arbitrary rules would we have had to deal with?
(This nearly happened with GIF)