I think the real issue is the fact that the vast majority of companies work in fields that have little patent activity anymore. Copyrights actually do not affect that many people, but Trademarks do matter. I think you you need to look at specific industries to see patent activity. I have worked in Chemical plants that had hundreds of potential patentable technology, but they never considered it because a patent can actually be a blue print of what you are doing. Patents are useful to keep new companies out of your market, but they rarely hinder established players. In truth, certain tech fields are moving so fast, by the time a patent arrives, it is out of date. A better run Patent office would help.
