Bkmk
There are companies who do nothing but file patents with the intent of blocking the competition. "First to Find" greatly discouraged that because it would be wasted money. It isn't coincidence that Communist China has been ripping off intellectual property from other creators.
It's also not a coincidence that you see more and more instances where something was designed better pre-Obama and the newer versions are flawed, especially when it comes to human factor design patents.
Without "First to Find", more and more innovation gets locked up and hidden away. Why share anything with anyone if you get nothing in return?
The idea of a patent was to offer an inventor an incentive to share their knowledge in Consideration for an exclusive period of use. Stradivarius's techniques for violin making were the impetus behind it as his secrets died with him. Some of the greatest designs were from individuals; the revolver, the Wright Brothers' airplane, Marconi's radio. "First to File" cuts out the brainpower and replaces it with corporate control.