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Myhrvold's approach to IP really disturbs me. The intent of patents was to protect the time and money an individual or company put into invention, not to stifle
by jaysonelliot 16y ago
Myhrvold's approach to IP really disturbs me. The intent of patents was to protect the time and money an individual or company put into invention, not to stifle innovation by locking away every trivial notion behind a licensing fee.
- celoyd 16y agoWhat really gets me about it is that Myhrvold himself is such a brilliant and pleasant guy, and he gets such cool people to work for him. I feel like he should know better than to take this sort of robber-baronial approach to intellectual property.
- tzs 16y agoYes, something needs to be done about allowing trivial things to be patented. However, for non-trivial things, there's nothing wrong with Myhrvold's approach. For those things IV itself develops, the patent system is doing just what it was intended to do--they put money into development, with the intent of using patent licensing fees to get that investment back and make a profit. Hence, it encourages the progress of the useful arts. Same goes for patents they buy. There are many people who are able to invent something, and do the R&D to show that it will work, but do not have the skill or resources to set up manufacturing. In this case, what IV provides is a market that allows people who can invent but can't set up manufacturing to connect with those who can set up manufacturing but need inventions to manufacture.