The nuances are in the patents themselves. Are they non-trivial? Are they innovative? Did they require any significant amount of effort to come up with?
I'm of the opinion that two measures will help fix the patent system, and this applies to most fields.
First, the duration of patents needs to be cut. 5 or so years would probably suffice.
Second, there needs to be an incentivized prior art busting effort. Perhaps the party filing the patent could put $1000 or so into escrow for a 1 month waiting period, and if someone manages to find valid prior art, they get the money.
You know, escrow sounds like a great idea if it can reduce applications by the same amount it increases prior art submissions. It would make it harder for individuals, though.
I'm of the opinion that two measures will help fix the patent system, and this applies to most fields.
First, the duration of patents needs to be cut. 5 or so years would probably suffice.
Second, there needs to be an incentivized prior art busting effort. Perhaps the party filing the patent could put $1000 or so into escrow for a 1 month waiting period, and if someone manages to find valid prior art, they get the money.