When you ransom the BTC Protocol to advantageously position patented products.
I don't think I understand. Can you give an example -- actual or hypothetical -- of such ransoming?
Patenting hardware and make sure the Protocol is biased towards that hardware.
Patenting some 2nd layer solution and position the protocol to be biased towards that solution.
I suppose this is a normal economic game in open protocol development and there is no easy way to clear the fog on this. In the end, users will vote with their money anyway. But I expect these problems in the future. I have no idea if they are here yet.