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I may be misunderstanding you, or missing a piece of your argument, but you appear to be arguing that patents should not exist? Is there any area that you feel

I may be misunderstanding you, or missing a piece of your argument, but you appear to be arguing that patents should not exist? Is there any area that you feel would be acceptable to allow patents?

lordnacho 9y ago
Well I'm no expert on it, but it would seem that patents are not justified in a great number of industries. There's a bunch of businesses where capital and knowledge exists, and can be turned to making more or less anything. For instance, if you come up with some new shape of plastic coathanger, you can find some guy in China to make it for you, in millions. The key isn't that you're smart and can make a clever shaped coathanger, the key is that you are able to convince people it's useful and worth buying for more than what it costs you to open a webshop and pay the factory. You shouldn't be able to patent that. Some other person may be able to make it without your help, cheaper, and for more consumers. Or you could make software. Pretty much any old UI innovation can be made by anyone in the field for peanuts. If it turns out everyone wants a circular knob to scroll up and down, it would not take long before every browser, application, and mobile app could implement that. You shouldn't be able to patent that; it's an obvious thing that takes no input from the original "inventor" to make. I already had an example from the food industry. You can mash together any number of foods, pretty much anyone can. Pharma is one area where it is perhaps legitimate, due to the cost of research. If you don't have someone doing tests to show some molecule works, nobody will know what works. And if you don't have someone showing you how to make a particular molecule, it may take a long time before consumers have that drug. I'm still reserved about it in this area though. The potential for abuse is considerable.

I may be misunderstanding you, or missing a piece of your argument, but you appear to be arguing that patents should not exist? Is there any area that you feel would be acceptable to allow patents?

lordnacho 9y ago

Well I'm no expert on it, but it would seem that patents are not justified in a great number of industries. There's a bunch of businesses where capital and knowledge exists, and can be turned to making more or less anything. For instance, if you come up with some new shape of plastic coathanger, you can find some guy in China to make it for you, in millions. The key isn't that you're smart and can make a clever shaped coathanger, the key is that you are able to convince people it's useful and worth buying for more than what it costs you to open a webshop and pay the factory. You shouldn't be able to patent that. Some other person may be able to make it without your help, cheaper, and for more consumers. Or you could make software. Pretty much any old UI innovation can be made by anyone in the field for peanuts. If it turns out everyone wants a circular knob to scroll up and down, it would not take long before every browser, application, and mobile app could implement that. You shouldn't be able to patent that; it's an obvious thing that takes no input from the original "inventor" to make. I already had an example from the food industry. You can mash together any number of foods, pretty much anyone can. Pharma is one area where it is perhaps legitimate, due to the cost of research. If you don't have someone doing tests to show some molecule works, nobody will know what works. And if you don't have someone showing you how to make a particular molecule, it may take a long time before consumers have that drug. I'm still reserved about it in this area though. The potential for abuse is considerable.