I agree with you, and I don't think patents themselves are the issue. It is the vast number of bad patents that are being approved and used as leverage against those that can't financially defend themselves.
If an R&D firm have spent millions developing (inventing) a new method of transportation, then they should be able to have that method patented. But I'd argue that "swipe to unlock" is not an invention and should definitely not be patented.
The transfer, sale, and collection of patents is fine as far as I'm concerned. That isn't the part that's broken.
Frivolous patent suits are only possible because there are frivolous patents being approved.
The problem is that distinguishing between good patents and bad ones isn't easy and the current statutes don't make it easy. Hence the seeming concensus on HN that patents are more trouble than they're worth. Which is an entirely justifiable viewpoint given the demographic of this site: if you're in the internet sector where capital costs are low and five years might as well be an eternity, then patents are almost certainly more of a hinderence in your industry than a help.
The question is: what about the 90% of the engineering world that's outside that sector? Imagine a hypothetical company trying to do what Google is doing with self-driving cars. Is there a non-IP business model for such a company that doesn't involve "bankroll blue-sky R&D with the massive profits thrown off by your advertising business?"
If an R&D firm have spent millions developing (inventing) a new method of transportation, then they should be able to have that method patented. But I'd argue that "swipe to unlock" is not an invention and should definitely not be patented.
The transfer, sale, and collection of patents is fine as far as I'm concerned. That isn't the part that's broken.
Frivolous patent suits are only possible because there are frivolous patents being approved.