Is there any empirical evidence to the contrary?  Do these studies show that the increased R&amp;D spending, VC investments, etc., are there specifically due to patent protection, and would otherwise not happen without?  It seems crazy to think that would be true.<p>As much as I hate to defend big pharma, I can at least understand their need to patent things: billions of dollars in research scuttled in an instant after a new drug comes on the market and everyone and their mother copies it.  But for many fields (such as software) that argument just doesn&#x27;t apply.<p>And on top of that, when I think about the money wasted on defending patent suits (and often settling because it&#x27;s more costly to win), and the money wasted on filing for patents in the first place (both in legal fees, and lost productivity tying up people&#x27;s time documenting things for patent lawyers and reviewing findings)... I really can&#x27;t see how our patent system actually makes us more innovative.