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Very little of this existed before the 1700s because all the science and math knowledge was still being stolen from the rest of the world using the racist "Doct
by ashwagary 5y ago
Very little of this existed before the 1700s because all the science and math knowledge was still being stolen from the rest of the world using the racist "Doctrine of Christian Discovery".
Patents granted to Asians, Africans, and indigenous Americans for prior-art would bankrupt Europe.
Remember, before the 15th century less than 5 people could do long division in Europe. Try solving middle/high school math equations without the number 0 and using only roman numerals, you will understand the problem very quickly. For this and many other reasons, most of the intellectual heavy lifting was done outside of Europe. It took 400 years or so to collect information and catch up to the rest of the world.
- Jiro 5y ago>Patents granted to Asians, Africans, and indigenous Americans for prior-art would bankrupt Europe. Patents last 20 years. So no.
- ashwagary 5y ago>Patents granted to Asians, Africans, and indigenous Americans for prior-art would bankrupt Europe. >Patents last 20 years. So no. That's a domestic choice that most countries had no say in, there is no global consensus on how long patents should last. In the US, congress has the right to grant and extend patents for however long it wishes (and has done so many times in the past). So yes, to my original point.
- Jiro 5y ago>there is no global consensus on how long patents should last. Yes there is. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRIPS_Agreement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRIPS_Agreement Also, you're confusing patents and copyrights. Patents have not been extended for very long lengths.
- ashwagary 5y agoA few countries had an outsized role in deciding these terms like much of the other WTOs rules...through the use of pressure, coercion, and other carrot/stick approaches. If it's not voluntary, I don't consider it global consensus. Joseph Stiglitz makes a similar point... "TRIPs imposed on the entire world the dominant intellectual property regime in the United States and Europe, as it is today. I believe that the way that intellectual property regime has evolved is not good for the United States and the EU; but even more, I believe it is not in the interest of the developing countries."
- Jiro 5y agoYou're being deceitful here. Stigler does oppose TRIPS because of its effect on developing countries--because intellectual property protection keeps developing countries from using patented things. In other words, he wants patents to be less restrictive, not, as you're falsely implying, more restrictive.