5 ms·

If you want a truly free market you need to abolish patents, trademarks, DRM and a lot of other laws as well. How else are other companies free to compete or co

If you want a truly free market you need to abolish patents, trademarks, DRM and a lot of other laws as well. How else are other companies free to compete or consumers free to choose? The current market does not exist in a vacuum.

trentnix 5y ago
You are describing a "free for all" market, not a "free market". Protection for patents and trademarks is absolutely compatible with a "free market" economy. But that doesn't mean that all patents and trademarks that have been granted are valid. The patent and trademark system needs work, but the baby should not be thrown out with the bathwater.
- FpUser 5y ago
  >"The patent and trademark system needs work, but the baby should not be thrown out with the bathwater" This baby is only protecting big corps now. Nothing can be done at the moment without violating some "rounded corners" patent. The only reason individuals can get away with it for a while is that it is not worth for patent holders chasing. As soon as they make some money the vultures come down.
  - kiba 5y ago
    Innovators absolutely do get their stuff patented, but it's no guarantee that they will continue to act as innovators rather than rest on their laurel. The current 3d printing scene was held back by pioneers in the field until patents expire. You could say that today is really the golden age of 3D printing.
- overscore 5y ago
  Environmental and consumer rights regulations are also compatible with a free market.
  - Dracophoenix 5y ago
    No they are not. Patents are incentives. You can weigh the benefits or lack thereof and chooses to opt-in or opt-out. Regulations are a government-created burden. You can't opt out of a regulation.
    - overscore 5y ago
      > Patents are incentives. They are also regulations. You can't opt-out of the patent system. > You can weigh the benefits or lack thereof and chooses to opt-in or opt-out. What is your proposed mechanism to opt-out? Do you mean that an inventor can choose not to apply for a patent? If so, that's not an opt-out of the patent system. You are still subject to all other valid patents. > Regulations are a government-created burden. Including patent regulations. It seems you support the regulations that you consider "good" and call them incentives. Environmental and consumer rights regulations are both regulations and incentives in exactly the way patents are. They are enforced by the state and incentivise certain behaviours. > You can't opt out of a regulation. True. As stated, you can't opt-out of patent regulations either.
    - aequitas 5y ago
      You can't opt-out of patents. You cannot enter the market with a product that infringes on a patent.
    - passivate 5y ago
      If you don't pollute the rivers, then you can avoid the "regulatory burden". If you don't serve food that contains poison, then you can avoid the "regulatory burden". If you don't sell cars whose brakes fail then you can completely avoid this "regulatory burden". If you're not a predatory lender then you can avoid this "regulatory burden".
      - zsmi 5y ago
        This is not correct. For example, I designed my circuit so it meets EMC regulations and standards, like I should. I still have to file my paperwork with the FCC which definitely counts as a "regulatory burden".
- kiba 5y ago
  The patent and trademark system needs work, but the baby should not be thrown out with the bathwater. There's so many kinds and examples of egregious behaviors by patent holders that you have to wonder if we're just better off with starting from scratch and deal with the tradeoff that may come with it.
  - rightbyte 5y ago
    Atleast for software. Most software patents I read are silly.

trentnix 5y ago

You are describing a "free for all" market, not a "free market". Protection for patents and trademarks is absolutely compatible with a "free market" economy. But that doesn't mean that all patents and trademarks that have been granted are valid. The patent and trademark system needs work, but the baby should not be thrown out with the bathwater.

FpUser 5y ago
>"The patent and trademark system needs work, but the baby should not be thrown out with the bathwater" This baby is only protecting big corps now. Nothing can be done at the moment without violating some "rounded corners" patent. The only reason individuals can get away with it for a while is that it is not worth for patent holders chasing. As soon as they make some money the vultures come down.
- kiba 5y ago
  Innovators absolutely do get their stuff patented, but it's no guarantee that they will continue to act as innovators rather than rest on their laurel. The current 3d printing scene was held back by pioneers in the field until patents expire. You could say that today is really the golden age of 3D printing.
overscore 5y ago
Environmental and consumer rights regulations are also compatible with a free market.
- Dracophoenix 5y ago
  No they are not. Patents are incentives. You can weigh the benefits or lack thereof and chooses to opt-in or opt-out. Regulations are a government-created burden. You can't opt out of a regulation.
  - overscore 5y ago
    > Patents are incentives. They are also regulations. You can't opt-out of the patent system. > You can weigh the benefits or lack thereof and chooses to opt-in or opt-out. What is your proposed mechanism to opt-out? Do you mean that an inventor can choose not to apply for a patent? If so, that's not an opt-out of the patent system. You are still subject to all other valid patents. > Regulations are a government-created burden. Including patent regulations. It seems you support the regulations that you consider "good" and call them incentives. Environmental and consumer rights regulations are both regulations and incentives in exactly the way patents are. They are enforced by the state and incentivise certain behaviours. > You can't opt out of a regulation. True. As stated, you can't opt-out of patent regulations either.
  - aequitas 5y ago
    You can't opt-out of patents. You cannot enter the market with a product that infringes on a patent.
  - passivate 5y ago
    If you don't pollute the rivers, then you can avoid the "regulatory burden". If you don't serve food that contains poison, then you can avoid the "regulatory burden". If you don't sell cars whose brakes fail then you can completely avoid this "regulatory burden". If you're not a predatory lender then you can avoid this "regulatory burden".
    - zsmi 5y ago
      This is not correct. For example, I designed my circuit so it meets EMC regulations and standards, like I should. I still have to file my paperwork with the FCC which definitely counts as a "regulatory burden".
kiba 5y ago
The patent and trademark system needs work, but the baby should not be thrown out with the bathwater. There's so many kinds and examples of egregious behaviors by patent holders that you have to wonder if we're just better off with starting from scratch and deal with the tradeoff that may come with it.
- rightbyte 5y ago
  Atleast for software. Most software patents I read are silly.