link to original reddit post by /u/FerociouslyNaked
"I made [x] first, therefore nobody should ever be allowed to make [x] again without my permission."
It's extremely childish thinking and entirely motivated by a desire to profit not by providing the best product, but by making sure that nobody else can ever provide your product but at a lower price.
Imagine if the first caveman who discovered how to start a fire was able to patent it and enforce that patent. All of human progress would have come to a standstill.
The same applies to any invention. Imagine if the wheel itself was patented and nobody could use a wheel because the patent holder didn't want to share it.
Or electricity generation.
Or broadcasting a radio signal.
Or sending an email.
Patents do not help humanity overall. They merely enrich the first person to file the patent, at the expense of everyone else.
Before anyone says "but the increased profit motive of owning a patent drives innovation", do you have any proof whatsoever that this is true? Because many companies continue to innovate in various areas that cannot be patented, such as providing better customer service or faster shipping. There is definitive proof that innovation continues in many areas of life despite the lack of patent coverage.
What there is not proof of is that the existence of patents has caused innovation to increase. In fact, I feel strongly that it is the opposite. All sorts of existing products would be sold at cheaper prices if competitors were allowed to sell them as well. And many products would be incrementally improved upon by competitors and sold as newer, better versions, but this is largely restricted by patent law.