[jandrese]

> Often, the simple innovations are the best ones - yet, the simple innovations are also the ones most easily copy-able.

Simple innovations are also the ones that are most easy to accidentally create yourself. "The most obvious way to do it". In cases like this patents are frequently a hindrance as a company needs to find a less efficient and more complex way to solve a problem because the obvious solutions is being squatted by a patent troll that demands far too much for the small but critical piece of infrastructure.

Or worse, the patent troll uses various tricks to delay award of the patent until the industry has implemented the technology on millions of platforms and then surprises everybody with mass infringement lawsuits.

The patent process would probably be improved if before awarding a patent they asked a panel of experts how they would solve the problem that the patent solves. If the experts come up with the same solution in a short period of time then the patent is not awarded. Something has to be truly novel to be worthy of patent protection. Unfortunately this is not practical with the current volume of patents working through the system.