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Sure, copies are cheap, but producing the original is often not. Unrestricted copying would discourage quite a few projects being started due to not having any

Sure, copies are cheap, but producing the original is often not. Unrestricted copying would discourage quite a few projects being started due to not having any chance to recoup investment. While IP may be a flawed tool at times, it still is a useful tool.

cma 5y ago
There are alternatives with no artificial scarcity, this one is public funds for everyone to make patreon style grants to creatorsthey support (2003): https://cepr.net/report/the-artistic-freedom-voucher-internet-age-alternative-to-copyrights/ https://cepr.net/report/the-artistic-freedom-voucher-interne...
dghlsakjg 5y ago
I think that the problem is that patent law allows for broad software concepts that have never been implemented. And it ignores differences in implementation. Can you imagine if copyright law allowed for things as broad as: “A novel or series of novels where a boy is educated at a school for wizards”. That’s what amazons 1-click patent was like. It was more or less: we will allow a client device to send both a product id and a user id by clicking a button, that will then cause a purchase to be made for that product and client. That patent caused something as trivial as “buy now” to be locked up by Amazon for years.
- w1nk 5y ago
  This isn't a commentary on patent law or I.P. which I find mostly absurd, but did the 1-click patent actually have any impact on reality? I remember the internet lighting up with rage about how stupid and obvious it was. I don't recall e-commerce being hamstrung by it. Do you have any more information on some cases where the patent was actually leveraged?
  - Iolaum 5y ago
    IIRC it had the impact of forcing a confirmation page on e-commerence that made scamming people more difficult.
    - Sebb767 5y ago
      If you're going to scam people anyway, infringing on a patent is probably not your biggest concern.

cma 5y ago

There are alternatives with no artificial scarcity, this one is public funds for everyone to make patreon style grants to creatorsthey support (2003): https://cepr.net/report/the-artistic-freedom-voucher-internet-age-alternative-to-copyrights/ https://cepr.net/report/the-artistic-freedom-voucher-interne...

dghlsakjg 5y ago

I think that the problem is that patent law allows for broad software concepts that have never been implemented. And it ignores differences in implementation. Can you imagine if copyright law allowed for things as broad as: “A novel or series of novels where a boy is educated at a school for wizards”. That’s what amazons 1-click patent was like. It was more or less: we will allow a client device to send both a product id and a user id by clicking a button, that will then cause a purchase to be made for that product and client. That patent caused something as trivial as “buy now” to be locked up by Amazon for years.

w1nk 5y ago
This isn't a commentary on patent law or I.P. which I find mostly absurd, but did the 1-click patent actually have any impact on reality? I remember the internet lighting up with rage about how stupid and obvious it was. I don't recall e-commerce being hamstrung by it. Do you have any more information on some cases where the patent was actually leveraged?
- Iolaum 5y ago
  IIRC it had the impact of forcing a confirmation page on e-commerence that made scamming people more difficult.
  - Sebb767 5y ago
    If you're going to scam people anyway, infringing on a patent is probably not your biggest concern.