„A specific technique on how to achieve it“, it usually a process patent. This can be circumvented and erases the protection. If the defined process is A>B>C>D and your process is A>E>C>D, then this does not touch the patent as it’s a different process.
Also I second your comments that patents often block innovation if not used or licensed too expensive, imI would like to share a different perspective on this.
In pharmacy, the research, development and testing of new medication takes years and costs tons of money. If a drug is out of patent, generic drugs made in India for a fraction of the costs in developed countries. Typically the original producer stops the production as they can’t succeed the race down.
If there won’t be patents that protect inventions, there won’t be medical research in developed countries. Antibiotics is one example where the broken incentive for medical industry to invent already became obvious. There are no new antibiotics anymore. Since years.
Imho, it’s not this good/bad thing with patents. It’s rather a „how you use it“
One of my first games. I stared at those moving lines for a long time.
Or teenagers give a fuck on being a movie star.