Though I saw this a bit late, it's still a great text. In the New York Times, Michael Crichton (of Jurassic Park - fame) writes about how absurd patents in the US have become.
He uses the case of a mere natural fact being patented for a well-done, very readable show of what's wrong with the system. Go read it.
Where does all this lead? It means that if a real estate agent lists a
house for sale, he can be sued because an existing patent for selling
houses includes item No. 7, "List the house." It means that Kobe Bryant
may serve as an inspiration but not a model, because nobody can imitate
him without fines. It means nobody can write a dinosaur story because
my patent includes 257 items covering all aspects of behavior, like
item No. 13, "Dinosaurs attack humans and other dinosaurs."
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