The embarrassing part of the patent system is not how long it takes but the way patents have been perverted from their original purpose.<p>The point of a patent was that you would get an exclusive license to your invention for 8 years. In exchange, you would provide detailed instructions on how to duplicate your invention so that after 8 years, other people could build it. It was supposed to <i>spread</i> innovation. It was a trade you made with the government: they would protect you, you would inform them.<p>Instead we have patent trolls who build nothing and use patents to extort money from those who do, actively hindering development of new products. The patents granted these days do not include instructions on how to build a device, they just say "I do it this way so now you can't". It's a disgrace.<p>If it's possible for somebody else to copy your invention without reverse-engineering your product, then you shouldn't be granted a patent.