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No, they don't protect ideas, they protect products or processes. According to WIPO: "What is a Patent? A patent is an exclusive right granted for an inventio

No, they don't protect ideas, they protect products or processes. According to WIPO: "What is a Patent? A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention, which is a product or a process that provides, in general, a new way of doing something, or offers a new technical solution to a problem. In order to be patentable, the invention must fulfill certain conditions " http://www.wipo.int/patentscope/en/patents_faq.html#patent http://www.wipo.int/patentscope/en/patents_faq.html#patent On your second point, I am in favor of government enforcement of contracts (as a last resort, hopefully), and copyright as well (though it should be amended or limited). On your scheduling idea, yes, if the implementation is easy, then your only recourse is obscurity (trade secrets). http://www.ipo.gov.uk/peertopatentblog/?tag=mathematical-method http://www.ipo.gov.uk/peertopatentblog/?tag=mathematical-met... Scientific theory or discovery and mathematical methods are NOT patentable. At Business School you learn that all sources of competitive advantage are temporary. BigCo will catch up with you eventually if you don't use your temporary advantage to build up.

anamax 15y ago
> A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention, which is a product or a process that provides, in general, a new way of doing something, or offers a new technical solution to a problem. In order to be patentable, the invention must fulfill certain conditions " You're reading "product" and "process" too literally. A patent on a new way of making a wheel is not just a patent on the wheels that you're making. It's on the way you make wheels, the idea, whether or not you're involved in said wheel making. > Scientific theory or discovery and mathematical methods are NOT patentable. Scheduling isn't any of the above, even if it happens to use some of them. Consider the patent on making vulcanized rubber. It came out of scientific discovery and depends on chemical "laws", but isn't any of those things. It doesn't cover the use of those things to do other things. It just covers the use of those things to vulcanize rubber. > At Business School you learn that all sources of competitive advantage are temporary. Patronize much? Anything that applies to "all" isn't specifically relevant to this discussion, which is about specific sources of competitive advantage. I'll repeat my question - do you really want to leave innovation to BigCos?

anamax 15y ago

> A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention, which is a product or a process that provides, in general, a new way of doing something, or offers a new technical solution to a problem. In order to be patentable, the invention must fulfill certain conditions " You're reading "product" and "process" too literally. A patent on a new way of making a wheel is not just a patent on the wheels that you're making. It's on the way you make wheels, the idea, whether or not you're involved in said wheel making. > Scientific theory or discovery and mathematical methods are NOT patentable. Scheduling isn't any of the above, even if it happens to use some of them. Consider the patent on making vulcanized rubber. It came out of scientific discovery and depends on chemical "laws", but isn't any of those things. It doesn't cover the use of those things to do other things. It just covers the use of those things to vulcanize rubber. > At Business School you learn that all sources of competitive advantage are temporary. Patronize much? Anything that applies to "all" isn't specifically relevant to this discussion, which is about specific sources of competitive advantage. I'll repeat my question - do you really want to leave innovation to BigCos?