The company I went to work for after that one got one of the first "algorithm" patents. I left it, and felt a fool for having joined it. What a regressive company! The want to rest on their prior inventions and market position, like milking cows. That's not innovative. I am intensely innovative in whatever I do. I did not fit in well there.
I've seen both software and hardware patents repress innovation. With the hardware patents generally one can invent a modified product that does a similar function. That's not so easy with many software patents because they are so loosey-goosey. So software patents are more effective as tools of legal extortion.
Mostly any employer owns any idea you have while an employee anyway.
Nothing wrong with getting residual payments on a good idea, it’s like receiving deferred pay. Depending on it, not so much.
Agreed on your take on software patents. A utility patent is typically on a method of achieving a given goal, and practically begs other clever souls to find other methods.
A software patent (as far as I can tell, and I’m certainly no expert here!) covers the goal itself.