At least in Europe and Germany there is a rule that allows the parent office to reject such an application. However, I don’t have any examples right now. Nevertheless, I know that dildos are patentable.

Here is an except from Art. 53 of the European patent convention:

European patents shall not be granted in respect of:

(a) inventions the commercial exploitation of which would be contrary to “ordre public” or morality; such exploitation shall not be deemed to be so contrary merely because it is prohibited by law or regulation in some or all of the Contracting States

Funny enough the first documented IP right occurred 1474 in Venice, the beginning of the Renaissance.

However, it can be discussed whether there really was an exponential increase in inventions during that time.

Also, I did not say that IP rights started the development but that it correlates. Causation and correlation should not be mixed up. Whether IP rights caused the exponential growth or the exponential growth made it necessary to protect the ideas I don’t know.

Maybe look at the time since when inventions grew exponentially and you’ll see that it correlates with IP protection.

Every protected IP right may be an incentive for someone to circumvent it thereby generating new ideas/inventions.

There is no black and white. Some exploit the IP rights but this should be a reason for politics to amend the law so that the exploit is no longer possible. Hate the player, not the game.