To be perfectly, lucidly clear: I agree 100% with the argument that you shouldn't be able to patent something that already exists. No. Nobody - don't care who - should be allowed to squat on ideas that make the world go 'round. But your grappling with complications is entirely related to "how things are" vs. "how things should be." "How things are" has sucked ass in patent law for a while now. And I don't see it getting better any time soon. And the guys that get the most advantage out of it? They're the ones who give no fucks about international opinion.
Thanks for clarifying, rereading your comment I don't fully understand why I thought anything to the contrary! Either way, I appreciate how much effort you put into it - you really inspired me to do some researching. My takeaway lessons here are that patent law is fucked, and it doesn't get un-fucked easily. I'm just glad nobody's life was ruined by this patent, and hope that the Ethiopian government will pursue legal action if they decide it matters enough to their people. C'est la vie, thanks for the conversation kleinbl00 :)