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Patented inventions can still have sex; in fact, patenting requires them to be published. It's trade secrets that enforce celibacy. You don't have to be able

by 10ren 16y ago

Patented inventions can still have sex; in fact, patenting requires them to be published. It's trade secrets that enforce celibacy. You don't have to be able to use an invention commercially to learn from it, combine it with other ideas, improve on it, invent around it.

kiba 16y ago
It is an unwarranted assumption that patents actually increase promiscuity of ideas. Rather, patents probably impedes the progress of industries as varied as steam engines and software. There is at least two economists in the world who dispute patents and copyright having place in the natural order of the free market: Examine the evidence and decide for yourself: It is common to argue that intellectual property in the form of copyright and patent is necessary for the innovation and creation of ideas and inventions such as machines, drugs, computer software, books, music, literature and movies. In fact intellectual property is not like ordinary property at all, but constitutes a government grant of a costly and dangerous private monopoly over ideas. We show through theory and example that intellectual monopoly is not neccesary for innovation and as a practical matter is damaging to growth, prosperity and liberty. -- Against Intellectual Monopoly http://levine.sscnet.ucla.edu/general/intellectual/againstfinal.htm http://levine.sscnet.ucla.edu/general/intellectual/againstfi... The book is free to read online, but you can also get yourself a dead tree version of the book if you like.
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
- pwhelan 16y ago
  But it is an unwarranted assumption that patents inherently inhibit the promiscuity of ideas. Through theory and example people have also shown that virtually unregulated capitalism produces the "most prosperous" results. They have done this for Marxism as well. Properly applied patents and intellectual property protection can aid the rate of innovation and progress.
  - kiba 16y ago
    The keyword is Properly applied. Now, has it ever been properly applied in this world? Can it ever be applied correctly in this world? How hard is it to apply it properly in this world if it can be applied?
    - pwhelan 16y ago
      Well, what does it mean "be applied correctly" to you? Proper application may not be particularly palatable. There is no free lunch. I would argue that the drug development has generally had properly applied patents. Drug prices suck. That poor countries cannot get adequate medical drugs sucks. However that is an entirely different kind of pain than the drugs not existing yet. It is likely not that hard to apply properly. I think we just don't like how it feels. It reminds me of free speech. We gain so much good from it -- but we also have the Hannity, Beck, Jenny McCarthy types too.
cturner 16y ago
It's trade secrets that enforce celibacy. Do trade secrets still exist?* Staff turnover and international travel are such in the modern world is such that ideas get out. Even obviously meant-to-be-secret stuff like codes needed to decrypt DVDs or SMB/CIFS message get out. Lots of things that do get patented could easily be reverse-engineered were they not published. You don't have to be able to use an invention commercially to learn from it, combine it with other ideas, improve on it, invent around it. Do companies ask talented engineers to spend time discussing rivals' patents and applications to pick out worthwhile stuff? Does anyone know of any examples of innovation that has come from the study of patent documents? * I thought of a candidate. I was once told that there was insider knowledge involved in the production of the glass that goes into true glass eyes, held by a community of glassblowers in a town in eastern germany, and that this is key to being able to get the glass dynamic enough to do things like make the veins look right.
- philwelch 16y ago
  Lots of trade secrets exist, recipes in particular. Source code may also qualify.

by 10ren 16y ago

kiba 16y ago

It is an unwarranted assumption that patents actually increase promiscuity of ideas. Rather, patents probably impedes the progress of industries as varied as steam engines and software. There is at least two economists in the world who dispute patents and copyright having place in the natural order of the free market: Examine the evidence and decide for yourself: It is common to argue that intellectual property in the form of copyright and patent is necessary for the innovation and creation of ideas and inventions such as machines, drugs, computer software, books, music, literature and movies. In fact intellectual property is not like ordinary property at all, but constitutes a government grant of a costly and dangerous private monopoly over ideas. We show through theory and example that intellectual monopoly is not neccesary for innovation and as a practical matter is damaging to growth, prosperity and liberty. -- Against Intellectual Monopoly http://levine.sscnet.ucla.edu/general/intellectual/againstfinal.htm http://levine.sscnet.ucla.edu/general/intellectual/againstfi... The book is free to read online, but you can also get yourself a dead tree version of the book if you like.

deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
pwhelan 16y ago
But it is an unwarranted assumption that patents inherently inhibit the promiscuity of ideas. Through theory and example people have also shown that virtually unregulated capitalism produces the "most prosperous" results. They have done this for Marxism as well. Properly applied patents and intellectual property protection can aid the rate of innovation and progress.
- kiba 16y ago
  The keyword is Properly applied. Now, has it ever been properly applied in this world? Can it ever be applied correctly in this world? How hard is it to apply it properly in this world if it can be applied?
  - pwhelan 16y ago
    Well, what does it mean "be applied correctly" to you? Proper application may not be particularly palatable. There is no free lunch. I would argue that the drug development has generally had properly applied patents. Drug prices suck. That poor countries cannot get adequate medical drugs sucks. However that is an entirely different kind of pain than the drugs not existing yet. It is likely not that hard to apply properly. I think we just don't like how it feels. It reminds me of free speech. We gain so much good from it -- but we also have the Hannity, Beck, Jenny McCarthy types too.

cturner 16y ago

It's trade secrets that enforce celibacy. Do trade secrets still exist?* Staff turnover and international travel are such in the modern world is such that ideas get out. Even obviously meant-to-be-secret stuff like codes needed to decrypt DVDs or SMB/CIFS message get out. Lots of things that do get patented could easily be reverse-engineered were they not published. You don't have to be able to use an invention commercially to learn from it, combine it with other ideas, improve on it, invent around it. Do companies ask talented engineers to spend time discussing rivals' patents and applications to pick out worthwhile stuff? Does anyone know of any examples of innovation that has come from the study of patent documents? * I thought of a candidate. I was once told that there was insider knowledge involved in the production of the glass that goes into true glass eyes, held by a community of glassblowers in a town in eastern germany, and that this is key to being able to get the glass dynamic enough to do things like make the veins look right.

philwelch 16y ago
Lots of trade secrets exist, recipes in particular. Source code may also qualify.