One step closer to unpatents

It seems like the Open Innovation Network (OIN) has got the world one step closer to my "unpatent" concept of a repository of ideas that are not patented and not patentable. The OIN proposes to create a portfolio of Linux patents that are openly available without licensing fees. The idea is to get as many Linux technologies patented but not subject to license fees, this would form a basis for fighting patent infringement suits directed toward Linux.

It seems interesting to me that ideas actually need to be patented to be protected since it seems patents were primarily about protecting the right to exploit an idea. If you get it out there under copyleft, or other "freedom of information" based licensing terms why bother with the patent unless you're interesting in making money? Maybe I have an incomplete understanding of patent laws or maybe the OIN has a bunch of tame patent lawyers so it can patent ideas so cheaply that they don't really care.

Ultimately this is just a step, were still giant leaps and bounds from what we really need. As the continuous barrage of new web patents shows, obvious ideas that anyone could think of given an hour or two (or day or two at the most) could come up with are still creating great wastelands in the opportunities for innovation and great waste piles of cash and resources expended to defend against and fight patent suits. The soon there is a central repository of unpatented and unpatentable ideas the better. This will cream off the vast majority of obvious solutions and save countless billions of dollars associated with patent filing and litigation, spur innovation and development without fear of patent suits, and funnel actual money into research, development and yes patenting good non-obvious inventions.