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Hopefully they won't get sued for using uncertified parts. Especially if somebody dies.
by jojobas 7y ago
Hopefully they won't get sued for using uncertified parts. Especially if somebody dies.
- skrebbel 7y agoGood thing they're not in the US.
- tehlike 7y agoIn the US, that would likely be the case. In Italy, probably not. Desperate time calls for desperate measures.
- ericd 7y agoHopefully the US Gov proclaims blanket amnesty so that people don't have to think about this.
- megous 7y agoOr fix the law, so that this issues goes away in the future, whithout having to repeatedly resort to ad-hoc measures and resulting legal uncertainty.
- megous 7y agoCompanies should be reminded that basis for patents is: > Article I, section 8, which reads "Congress shall have power ... to promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries." It would certainly be interesting to see "promotion of the progress of science and useful arts" to be pitted against "saving lives during a national emergency" in court, where the said company refuses to provide needed replacement parts. Something like that surely must have happened already?
- retrac 7y agoYes. Most countries have a system for compulsorily purchasing a patent if it's deemed in the public interest. With the 2001 anthrax attacks, the US government ordered Bayer to lower the cost of an antibiotic that treats anthrax, or lose their patent on the drug. (Bayer complied.)
- napolux 7y agoItalian here: they asked for the 3d model to the company producing the valve. The company answered with a threat of legal actions. Source: https://is.gd/PodKth https://is.gd/PodKth In the hospital they said: "we don't care, we need the valve". Looks like 10 of them are currently in use on patients after some tests.