Worth reading <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.aeaweb.org&#x2F;articles.php?doi=10.1257&#x2F;jep.27.1.3" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.aeaweb.org&#x2F;articles.php?doi=10.1257&#x2F;jep.27.1.3</a> The Case Against Patents which is a paper that argues that patents (all of them, not just software) mainly support incumbents and prevent competition.