> IP law is what it is, but you can make very good arguments that it (esp patents) doesn't actually help society at large, and that it shouldn't exist in its cu

> IP law is what it is, but you can make very good arguments that it (esp patents) doesn't actually help society at large, and that it shouldn't exist in its current form. I think you'll find a lot of people on HN who would back that. Software patents generally suck and most IP laws grant monopoly for too long. But also, some IP law is needed. I'd be willing to bet 90+% of HN would sign on to that. > Somehow when it comes to China, people grab for any excuse to criticize them and "stealing tech" is one of them I'd rather they not be relaxed for the express purpose of sharing technology and methods with an authoritarian government that promotes itself as the US's rival. Again, I'd be willing to bet most of HN would cosign that. I'm always really frustrated by comments that are like "HN/group always says X but now they're saying Y! So inconsistent!" Like it's somehow mandatory to completely disregard context and degree when forming opinions. It's not. You can say no to sex with someone without committing to celibacy. I'd be perfectly comfortable showing up on capital Hill and yelling that Biden shits his pants, but I would not be comfortable showing up in Beijing calling Xi Winnie the Pooh. It's ok if that informs my level of comfort supporting the technological progression of the respective institutions. > As for some professor getting paid, tech profs can be a pretty hot commodity, so it's not in itself surprising that a prof is making big bucks teaching people about his subject and perhaps also introducing his network. Tons of professors make good money. Great money. That has nothing to do with why this guy is in the news.