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Active sticks have been in development for decades. They’re getting deployed on civilian crafts these days e.g. Gulf Stream’s top of the lines jets (though retrofitting them on existing planes is likely a ways away still).

I would assume the issues are / were around reliability, failure modes, certification and training rather than patents.

Boeings use mechanical yokes and not sticks. They have force feedback by design.

The force feedback is applied by the "feel computer". On the 757 it's a hydraulic device designed to apply forces to the control column simulating the forces on the control surfaces.

I'm talking about feedback as it pertains to dual-input, which was what was being discussed above.

It's a different implementation of the same thing.

These are mechanically linked controls. Literally the force of the other pilot is directly felt and observed.

What force feedback in addition would you have in mind?

They have vibration in case of imminent stall: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stick_shaker

Active sidesticks have been around for a few years now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sXXx8rgeeE