>Throwing out the patent system would be quite fine. Patents are literally only used to stop things from being made, never to enable something to be made.
I don't think you're considering the bigger picture here.
For example: it costs billions of USD to create a normal prescription drug. That's an insanely serious investment. How likely do you think that investors will be willing to help fund drug research when a month after your new wonder drug hits shelves there are generics sitting right along side it? Generics which cost considerably less because they don't have to recoup all that R&D. Same thing applies to any other product with a sizable R&D budget.
Now, I'm definitely not saying the current patent system is without problems, but saying that patents never enable development is a tad short-sighted in my opinion.
Well you're right, drug companies bankrolling clinical trials is the biggest (and only) real argument for keeping patents.
On the other hand, drug companies mostly develop lifestyle drugs these days. Drugs that cure people are less subjective and not profitable enough. I'd bet most of the real medical research still comes from academics sponsored by government, *-for-the-cure fundraising organizations, etc.
I don't think you're considering the bigger picture here.
For example: it costs billions of USD to create a normal prescription drug. That's an insanely serious investment. How likely do you think that investors will be willing to help fund drug research when a month after your new wonder drug hits shelves there are generics sitting right along side it? Generics which cost considerably less because they don't have to recoup all that R&D. Same thing applies to any other product with a sizable R&D budget.
Now, I'm definitely not saying the current patent system is without problems, but saying that patents never enable development is a tad short-sighted in my opinion.