Technology and Innovation: Patent myths and realities

As a patent lawyer who is active in industry and public forums, I'm often presented with arguments to the effect that the patent system should not exist at all, or that certain classes of technology should not be patented. The scope of the patent system is a legitimate area of public policy debate, and I would be the last person to take the one-sided position that more patents are always better. But it's important that the debate proceed from a clear understanding of the patent system as it exists now.