Software Patents, and why I hate them

In an article from The independent on Apple's iPod it appears that they are having problems with patents. The iPod was released in 2001, not the first digital player but the one that quickly gained a substantial market share because of it's asthetics, simplisity, and user interface. In 2002, one year after the iPod's release, Microsoft files and gaines a patent on the interface used by the iPod. Yes they where given a patent on something in an already shipping product, a product not made by them, nor invented by them. Perhaps the patent office is taking a novel the meaning of the word 'invent', to be more like 'discover', or possibly 'have a look at what other people have done'.