Patents are artificial government granted monopolies. Such monopolies are in no ...

gaius · on March 28, 2012

Except in the sense that the thing granted the temporary monopoly on would not otherwise exist.

EvilTerran · on March 28, 2012

I'd make that "... might not otherwise exist".

People still innovate even when they know they're gonna get copied. Maybe not as many people, but it doesn't make as big a difference as the pro-patent lobby would have you believe.