1+1 (pat. pending) - Mathematics, Software and Free Speech (Groklaw)

To the steam engine, add the aeroplane - the first aeroplane to fly did so in the US, yet within fifteen years the US was so badly behind it had to buy nearly all its warplanes from the British and the French.

And add pharmaceuticals !!! most patents and research go into incremental research aimed at keeping old drugs "in patent", and not towards research for new drugs.

Add the light bulb - Edison's patent was for a carbon-filament bulb - filed LONG after he had seen a British tungsten-filament bulb. Which one was it that took over the world, again?

Pretty much all patents have been a disaster - not all I'll admit, but most have.

Cheers,
Wol