For reform, the trick is to find a solution that works at two ends of the spectrum:
1) A pharma company spends $1B on R&D to develop a drug and get FDA approval. If someone could knock off the resulting compound at 10 cents per pill, we wouldn't have the drug.
2) Software companies, where there are hundreds of potential patents to file or infringe on, and there is tons of iterative evolution.
Maybe reform could happen by fixing how damages are awarded? Like if you infringe on some patent that is a small part of a product, you pay a $100 fine or something? That would remove the financial incentive to sue unless you can prove someone's whole business is built on your ideas...
1) A pharma company spends $1B on R&D to develop a drug and get FDA approval. If someone could knock off the resulting compound at 10 cents per pill, we wouldn't have the drug.
2) Software companies, where there are hundreds of potential patents to file or infringe on, and there is tons of iterative evolution.