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Why does it matter if the tech belongs to a startup? If any of these projects ever actually works, 1) they're still going to be very capital-intensive, and 2)
by natechols 7y ago
Why does it matter if the tech belongs to a startup? If any of these projects ever actually works, 1) they're still going to be very capital-intensive, and 2) it's still going to be a private company that builds the production plants. Patent exclusivity only lasts a couple of decades anyway, so personally I'd rather go with whatever approach gets us commercial fusion power in my lifetime.
- 2muchcoffeeman 7y agoI’m a firm believer that any sort of fundamental research and their outcomes should be owned by the public. We may have to contract a company to build the thing, but the knowledge should be free for all.
- 74ls00 7y agoThen what incentive is there for investment into R&D if it doesn’t give a competitive advantage? Patents are designed to encourage investment by providing a monopoly for an exclusive time only - we can debate how long that should be - but the fundamental fact is that without patents innovation slows greatly