By the way, you forget that the purpose of patents is not to allow you to get rich, it is to "promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts". The relevant question is if you think progress of science is promoted by the current system, or if progress is hampered because software patent litigation puts a damper on it?

The multitouch patent, for example: Do you think Apple wouldn't have bothered with the iPhone if they couldn't patent their "invention" (which wasn't theirs either, but that's a different issue)? In that case, the patent has promoted progress. But it's sure standing in the way for ubiquitous competition and rollout of touch devices now.