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One of the more interesting insights from the comments (which I agree with) was that the Amazon patent was for defensive purposes in order to prevent other comp
by bitmapbrother 9y ago
One of the more interesting insights from the comments (which I agree with) was that the Amazon patent was for defensive purposes in order to prevent other companies from trying to implement such an idea in their stores.
I have never given much thought to the idea of defensive patents, but if this is truly the intent of Amazon's patent then it's brilliant.
- themodelplumber 9y agoInteresting. "Let's block those who would block comparison shopping" certainly makes more free-market sense than "let's block comparison shopping."
- milesward 9y agoblush that was the intent.
- sowbug 9y agoLook up Macrovision (VHS copy protection from the 20th century). They came up with the scheme, then patented every way they could think of to break it.
- euyyn 9y agoNot a lawyer, but wouldn't that be challengeable in court? I see the ethics of it, but maybe legally it falls in the same bucket as patent trolls that hold on a patent with no intention of ever commercializing it.
- mikeash 9y agoI thought the whole problem with patent trolls was that holding a patent with no intent of commercializing it was perfectly legal.
- JoshMnem 9y agoMaybe a combination of defensive and opportunistic.