I agree that something like a software patent may be a bad idea, but you have to realise that a lot of people read your stuff and get influenced by this 'half of the patent picture' and then leave with the wrong idea and start criticising legitimate patent areas.
For example: Company A spends $200M of investors money finding a new anti-depressant. Ok so they invested all of this money, now they need to spend 8 years proving to the FDA that it is safe to use, there goes another $300M. 'Generic pharmacies inc' says hey, thanks for doing all that work, now we can manufacture that drug in our factory for 1c/pill and make a little bit of money, good luck recouping your research money because we just got all the cheap sales. Company A goes bankrupt, the investors lose their money. Company B and C notice this industry is poor for research, and decide never to spend that money finding an anti brain-tumor agent.
However, if company A had patented their idea, then they will have around 10-15 years of patent-protected time (because they have to patent before divulging it, and by the time you get through trials and approval you can often have just a few years left) to sell their drug at a price where they can recoup their $500M, and invest in more bigger and better research. Meanwhile, whilst patented, other companies can see that research and build upon it with their own research - they just cant rip them off with the money they are owed in that time by selling it without permission. If they really want to sell it, they can ask the company to license it to them, and pay royalties. Later, the patent expires, as all of them do, and then generic company is free to manufacture it without paying the inventor a cent.
Is this not a valid reason for patents? I'm sorry notch but you cant copyright a pill, even though that copyright law may protect your own interests (minecraft)