3 ms·

> And when you do the math you realize the ideal length === 0. Do you honestly believe this? I agree the patent system is broken, but I'm not convinced we sho

> And when you do the math you realize the ideal length === 0. Do you honestly believe this? I agree the patent system is broken, but I'm not convinced we should completely abolish it. I am speaking broadly though and not just for software. For software I could see patents as long as a few years making sense, and shorter would be fine. 18 months seems about right as a benchmark to me. A much simpler solution to the patent system is you have to pay exponentially more to keep it as time goes on. This would also solve copyright issues, specifically for Disney and other megacorporations. I realize there is no magic bullet to this, but I actually think the patent system has merit and is worth fixing rather than demolishing.

musingsole 6y ago
I'm very exhausted with trying to treat ideas as property. I'll accept it got us here and appreciate it for that, but it's a broken model that requires massive orchestration to keep in reality. I want something different (and better...though that's the hard part).
breck 6y ago
> Do you honestly believe this? There's nothing I honestly believe in more. #ImaginaryPropertyLaws are a *total* sham. The dramatic expansions [0] in 1976 and 1998 have proven it beyond a reasonable doubt with nothing to show for it except massively increasing inequality [a]. The news? Hasn't improved at all, arguably gotten worse. Pick up a NYTimes from 1871 and compare it to one from today [1]. Today's have color photos, other than that, worse compared to 150 years ago. Scientific papers? Terrible. Look at the reproducibility crisis. Now Elsevier and Wiley and American Chemical Society are suing India to prevent poor kids from accessing SciHub. [2] Medicine? Watson, Crick and Franklin did their famous work in 1953. The healthspan in the USA is *decreasing* [3]. That opioid crisis? Ultimately attributable to USPTO [4]. War on cancer? Started in 1970 and we've gotten our *ass kicked* [5]. The only positive developments have been the massive grunt work public domain research projects funded by US and global taxpayers. Space travel and electric cars? Completely fcking plateaud until Elon Musk came out and said fck patents and kicked everyone's ass [6]. How about computing? Absolutely dominated by TCP/IP, the web, Linux, Git; all public domain or libre software. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_Term_Extension_Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_Term_Extension_Act [a] https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dgJmaIkwy4Xb9CACHYp_J4j18TI=/1400x1050/filters:format(png)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/11839467/Screen_Shot_2018_07_29_at_10.27.09_AM.png https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dgJmaIkwy4Xb9CACHYp_J4j18TI=... [1] https://www.amazon.com/York-Times-Complete-Front-Pages/dp/0762466596 https://www.amazon.com/York-Times-Complete-Front-Pages/dp/07... [2] https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-libgen-face-isp-blocking-in-india-after-publishers-file-high-court-complaint-201227/ https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-libgen-face-isp-blocking-in... [3] https://apps.who.int/gho/data/view.main.HALEXv https://apps.who.int/gho/data/view.main.HALEXv [4] https://longbets.org/855/ https://longbets.org/855/ [5] https://www.cancer.gov/about-nci/overview/history/national-cancer-act-1971 https://www.cancer.gov/about-nci/overview/history/national-c... [6] https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150217/06182930052/elon-musk-clarifies-that-teslas-patents-really-are-free-investor-absolutely-freaks-out.shtml https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150217/06182930052/elon-...

musingsole 6y ago

I'm very exhausted with trying to treat ideas as property. I'll accept it got us here and appreciate it for that, but it's a broken model that requires massive orchestration to keep in reality. I want something different (and better...though that's the hard part).

breck 6y ago

> Do you honestly believe this? There's nothing I honestly believe in more. #ImaginaryPropertyLaws are a *total* sham. The dramatic expansions [0] in 1976 and 1998 have proven it beyond a reasonable doubt with nothing to show for it except massively increasing inequality [a]. The news? Hasn't improved at all, arguably gotten worse. Pick up a NYTimes from 1871 and compare it to one from today [1]. Today's have color photos, other than that, worse compared to 150 years ago. Scientific papers? Terrible. Look at the reproducibility crisis. Now Elsevier and Wiley and American Chemical Society are suing India to prevent poor kids from accessing SciHub. [2] Medicine? Watson, Crick and Franklin did their famous work in 1953. The healthspan in the USA is *decreasing* [3]. That opioid crisis? Ultimately attributable to USPTO [4]. War on cancer? Started in 1970 and we've gotten our *ass kicked* [5]. The only positive developments have been the massive grunt work public domain research projects funded by US and global taxpayers. Space travel and electric cars? Completely fcking plateaud until Elon Musk came out and said fck patents and kicked everyone's ass [6]. How about computing? Absolutely dominated by TCP/IP, the web, Linux, Git; all public domain or libre software. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_Term_Extension_Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_Term_Extension_Act [a] https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dgJmaIkwy4Xb9CACHYp_J4j18TI=/1400x1050/filters:format(png)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/11839467/Screen_Shot_2018_07_29_at_10.27.09_AM.png https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dgJmaIkwy4Xb9CACHYp_J4j18TI=... [1] https://www.amazon.com/York-Times-Complete-Front-Pages/dp/0762466596 https://www.amazon.com/York-Times-Complete-Front-Pages/dp/07... [2] https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-libgen-face-isp-blocking-in-india-after-publishers-file-high-court-complaint-201227/ https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-libgen-face-isp-blocking-in... [3] https://apps.who.int/gho/data/view.main.HALEXv https://apps.who.int/gho/data/view.main.HALEXv [4] https://longbets.org/855/ https://longbets.org/855/ [5] https://www.cancer.gov/about-nci/overview/history/national-cancer-act-1971 https://www.cancer.gov/about-nci/overview/history/national-c... [6] https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150217/06182930052/elon-musk-clarifies-that-teslas-patents-really-are-free-investor-absolutely-freaks-out.shtml https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150217/06182930052/elon-...