The system for the distribution of patent information is not transparent and not efficient. It does not work and the result is bad patents and a lack of clarity in the definition of intellectual property. Look at the question of obvious patents. Corporations filing a patent have no incentive to do a search of the prior art. To do so would only uncover inconvenient facts.
Patent examiners have bad tools at their disposal and operate inside of a closed system.
They do searches, but do not have the tools at their disposal to systematically find prior art relating to a proposed patent. They operate behind a wall. We can't see in, they can't see out. The system is not transparent. The current system is no surprise.