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Still, it's a UX patent meaning that they didn't really invent something, they just specified a logical behavior combined with a gesture and got paperwork to say they own it.

Specific workarounds, maybe. But there's going to come a time when simple UI techniques are going to get patented away unless someone puts their foot down and tell these companies that human gestures, basic interface, and common UX are off limits.

Our current patent office seems woefully inadequate to the task.

Also interesting to note is that knockoff companies in certain countries aren't actually going to care about stuff like this and will simply continue to put out whatever makes money (thus creating commonly used UI/UX experiences), so the long and short of it is that we're tying our own hands behind our backs while the rest of the world goes on it's merry way.

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