Say what you will about Microsoft, but they are terrific at one thing: highlighting the absurdity of state-sponsored protectionism of ideas. Why Bill Gates wants 3,000 new patents -- what that c|net news headline doesn't reveal is that he's ordered 3,000 new patents to be sought per year, up from 2,000. From the long and worth-reading article:

It must feel like a bit of a stretch to come up with 60 fresh, nonobvious patentable ideas week in, week out. Perhaps that is why this summer's crop includes titles like System and Method for Creating a Note Related to a Phone Call" and "Adding and Removing White Space From a Document."

Lest you think the author's just beating up on Microsoft, another choice bit:

But patent protection for software? No. Not for Microsoft, nor for anyone else.

The article explains why. Another bit that seems to fit well here:

The moral of the story is that if you give people freedom, they will work out how to exercise it just fine. If you are inexperienced with freedom, you may be retarded in its exercise.

From the excellent St George blog.