[m-r-a-m]

For (software) patents, I don't think regular people will care until they start hearing about jobs going to other countries because entrepreneurs can't deal with the legal costs. Right now everyone puts up with it because of other benefits of being in the US. Given the rate of new patents, this scenario could happen.

[WhoIsSatoshi]

I don't see patents as critical to the masses. Look at Germany - they are trying to abolish software patents altogether (src: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/06/german-parliament-says...). I am worried that regular people will be the ones enslaving us all. Will Iceland become some kind of freedom haven? Will people migrate to seateds instead to create a waterworld of the future? I'm very disheartened by the present: I would like to do something, but can't figure out what to push towards.

[adamcanady]

Same here, it's a tough situation and it's hard to know where to help.

[mark_l_watson]

The jobs leaving the country argument is one that I used with some friends who didn't see anything wrong with "record everything" government programs in the USA. When I explained the potential for hurting the USA tech industry then that made sense to people.