Technically disclosure is supposed to encourage innovation by allowing people to see what's up and then [..] "find a better way"
Except that if you acknowledge the existence of the patent (for example in an internal paper trail), you will then be found liable for willful infringement and will face triple damages, even if you honestly believe you found a way to avoid using the method covered by the patent.
At least that's the legal advice I've seen coming from the USA:
- never talk to cops
- never read a patent
- never read proprietary source code