The basic concept of patent protection is that there's a quid-pro-quo: an inventor is granted protection for a limited time, but then has to make the technology public in exchange for that protection and to further the progress of a nation.

We have lost any concept of asking, "Is this useful?" and we've lost leadership asking, "Is this really necessary?"

The same goes for civilization's overhead costs. People are conditioned to "always low prices" and libertarian tax policies that benefit the bullies of industry, while keeping the purchaser in the dark as to the real cost of purchasing a life instead of living one and creating their place in the world.

The opposite of unfettered capitalism is fettered capitalism: and that means sales tax at every level of purchasing at a high enough rate to reflect ALL overhead costs of war, infrastructure, leadership (not what we have now) and rules that prevent corruption (the income tax code basically defines corruption).

Citizens need to be paid their value (UBI and good health, not insurance) as citizens (cannon fodder has a value).

Any system will only work in the long term if it has a proper negative feedback mechanism.

Capitalism (money for money's sake) shouldn't really exist without people knowing its costs at every interaction with that system.

It's not that the rich are so rich, but that they should be useful to places and people on those places, not just competitively extracting value while brainwashing children (advertising, religion, etc).

Direct feedback to those who need it, both positive (UBI, good health, clean water, housing) and negative (sales tax/VAT).

Corporations have been given the 'king's patent' to rape and pillage without building a world for the future. Citizens don't have a clue how much they are worth and how much the planet itself is owed in back pay and human labor.