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I have thought that there could be an IP tax that increases over time, and once you do not pay the tax, the IP in question becomes public domain automatically.
by beefield 10y ago
I have thought that there could be an IP tax that increases over time, and once you do not pay the tax, the IP in question becomes public domain automatically.
The increase rate could be different for different IP, but typically first few years could be free, and after 20 years the tax should be in billions.
This would solve quite a few problems with IP (orphan works would be a non-issue, and patent trolls would have difficulties operating)
Of course, I think there would be some "small" details to be solved on the international side...
- Someone 10y ago"The increase rate could be different for different IP" I would expect that to end up as just one other thing patent lawyers will use to dispute patents, as that would have the patent office (partially) decide not only whether something is original, but also, to some extent, what it is worth.
- beefield 10y agoI meant not in individual patent level, but higher level. Copyright for books might need a separate tax schedule from patents in medicine, which again might have different requirements than software patents. Or, one schedule might fit everything, I have not done that detailed anaylis of this idea.
- briandear 10y agoI am confused. If I invent something; I pay the government a tax or I lose what I invent? "Hey this is a really nice restaurant; it'd be a shame if you were to have a fire or something."
- jo909 10y agoYes, the government and society helps you to protect your idea and monopolize it over some time. Paying for that privilege with a tax is not very outlandish.
- beefield 10y agoI see it more like: I own property. I pay the government a tax on the property or I lose it. I own intellectual property. I pay the goverment a tax on the intellectual property or I lose it. I am not interested here to engage in a libertarian argument that all tax is theft or mafia type coercion.
- fnj 10y agoAll tax is organized theft, backed by irresistible force. You are welcome not to face that fact, but it doesn't change the truth. The only real opportunity for disagreement is whether that theft is justified. And, I suppose, we can play games with substituting another term for "theft". Perhaps "confiscation" or "seizure".
- ZeroGravitas 10y agoAll property (intellectual or otherwise) is organized theft, backed by irresistible force. You are welcome not to face that fact, but it doesn't change the truth. So libertarian views on this are pots calling the kettle black.
- ue_ 10y agoProudhon's "What is Property?" is a good read on this. Private property is theft from society.
- ZeroGravitas 10y agoAn obscure joke on this topic that's always tickled me though perhaps not objectively funny: https://mako.cc/copyrighteous/property-2 https://mako.cc/copyrighteous/property-2
- ue_ 10y agoHah, I like this.
- VLM 10y agoHe's getting unfairly downvoted in that the point is that if you invent something you need to pay the government to get protection but if you create something you get copyright protection for free. Which seems weird. So if I sign a schematic its a work of art and can't be reproduced without my permission and I don't need to register it before filing suit on anyone infringing my copyright (although it would help at trial...) On the other hand someone else can steal the design off my schematic unless I pay the government to protect me, which seems weird to me. It would be like the government protecting me for free if someone stole the arrangement of my lawn chairs on my patio, but not having police protection from stealing the physical chairs unless I paid protection money. Shouldn't the government in a capitalist country protect inventors stronger than it protects artists? Or maybe this isn't as much of a top to bottom capitalist country as some people insist. Artists and property owners are protected by the government for free. The work of the engineer, not so much.
- beefield 10y agoI referred to IP more generally than just patents. (Note my comment on orphan works)