I'm not sure the bureaucracy of this would be any better than the current (flawed) patent system... In fact, I'd venture it would be much, much worse.
At least in the current system you're protected, and potentially rewarded - even if everyone thinks it's a bad idea (which is often the case for break-through innovations).
The current system is not well tuned to current technology. If you patent the steam regulator, the idea was that you would sell then far and wide... In the industry now it's used to lock up a technology for exclusive use.
Maybe a patent should coffer the rights to an invention - and the patent is also opened up for auction by the govt to "n" organisations (where n is somehow determined to maximise profit), with the profits going to the patent holder.
At least in the current system you're protected, and potentially rewarded - even if everyone thinks it's a bad idea (which is often the case for break-through innovations).
The current system is not well tuned to current technology. If you patent the steam regulator, the idea was that you would sell then far and wide... In the industry now it's used to lock up a technology for exclusive use.
Maybe a patent should coffer the rights to an invention - and the patent is also opened up for auction by the govt to "n" organisations (where n is somehow determined to maximise profit), with the profits going to the patent holder.