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Patents are sufficiently abstract that most people believe the very basic story we are told about them and they don’t ever learn the true details. It wasn’t until I saw all the work engineering hobbyists did to advance 3D printing that I realized how many people are held back by patents. I do wish people would engage with comments instead of downvotes as I try to make good arguments.

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In case of 3D printers, patents worked as expected. 3 different methods were invented, patented (opened to public with protection for 20 years), then patent are expired, and general public was able to fruit developed technology and advance it further.

Just compare this to commercial secret practice.

Commercial secret practices would have had 3D printers reverse engineered 20 years ago. So yes, maybe they worked as expected, but it's not clear the public benefitted more under that system.

You’re describing the basic operation of a patent which is not in dispute. What I am saying is that the societal costs outweigh the benefits and despite the common belief, patents are not actually a net good for society. I describe this in more detail (including alternatives to secrecy) here:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28659377

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