> Otherwise we have cases like this, and patent law does nothing but increase costs for everyone by entrenching monopolies in these fields.

This is precisely what patents are designed to do: create monopolies.

But as usual with politics, it is easier to create more laws to try to patch up some of the consequences of a bad policy than to fix the actual policy. (All the laws intended to deal with the fallout from the failed Drug Prohibition are another good example.)

All this reminds me of how amusing it was when Microsoft was being persecuted for antitrust violations when their whole business model was based on copyright, which again is based on government granted monopolies.

But of course when the lives and health of people are involved the farce turns to tragedy.