Would you be surprised if technology stopped expanding or slowed down considerably?

Well its a reality and you can thank patent thickets for it.

Well over 5,000 nanotechnology-related patents have been issued in ther U.S. as of late March 2006.

The strongest growth can be observed in patents refering to “Nanoparticle” (147% CAGR since 2000), “Nanotube” (141%) and “Fullerene” (139%).

This trend clearly shows that nanotechnology firms and researchers are racing to secure patent protection for early-stage commercial applications but also might be trying to create license fee generating positions.
As patent offices are struggling with the soaring number of patent applications filed, nanotechnology- related patents create new challenges and problems.
One case in point is nanomedicine. According to Dr. Raj Bawa, author of a recent paper titled “Will the nanomedicine “patent land grab” thwart commercialization?” published online on Dec. 19, 2005 in Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine, the critical role of patents to the nanomedicine “revolution” cannot be underestimated.

http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/4569/

Just imagine if this had happened with software technology. This is a crime against free markets.