Okay, this one is for the nerds.

A pretty big claim has been made by Microsoft in this Fortune article that many Open Source software applications (like virtually all of the technology being used by the Mental Popcorn site!) might be in breach of up to 235 patents owned by Microsoft.

This news has put the wind up the Open Source community with Linus Torvalds (creator of the Linux kernel) responding in this article suggesting that, if anything, Microsoft is possibly breaching many more patents from other people instead!

This got me to thinking about Patent Law in general and what restrictions it might potentially put on the betterment of mankind, and has it already been doing this?

For example, imagine (completely hypothetically) if Google had been successful in patenting the “entire” Search Engine concept as a patentable idea?  We all use search engines every day and they are invaluable for finding stuff on the Internet BUT what if they had decided to keep their idea secret – and vigorously litigate anyone else who tried to build a similar service?  At what point does the greater good prevail?

I leave you with this question.  At what point is Patent Law going to prevent human kind from progressing how it should; as an organic structure with the freedom to grow and evolve?