3 ms·

They're booming because they're benefiting from our work. Copy + paste only works for some time until you start needing to create your own original things. But

They're booming because they're benefiting from our work. Copy + paste only works for some time until you start needing to create your own original things. But without copyright what's the point? Someone else will quickly take your investment of time and effort, and make profit that you can't (because you need to price what you developed higher than the competition, who is using your work, to recoup that investment). Copyright is useful, just not in its current state where it's being abused.

Ekaros 4y ago
As long as you stay ahead of competition or make simply better products it will work. Someone might steal your design, but they still have to manufacture it and parts like pcb, case and so on. This will take certain amount of time and in this time you should come up with new better model that offers more to customers.
- hilbert42 4y ago
  That's fine if there's a level playing field. If a manufacturer can steal your design in China and get away with it and you can't do the same in the US then you're stuffed. And that's what's happened.
hilbert42 4y ago
"Copyright is useful, just not in its current state where it's being abused." I'd agree—and I'm not contradicting my earlier comment by saying that. It's that what passes as breach of copyright and patent law is so finely ground that neither corporate or national interests are properly served. So much time is wasted on protecting stuff that either isn't really a breach (so close to prior art) or on developments that are so trivial that they effectively amount to very little, that is the overall net result/outcomre is negative (even the winners only achieve a Pyrrhic victory). The only people who truly benefit from this over-grinding of the law are those in countries whose laws allow more flexibility. The over-fine grinding of law also acts as a disincentive as it's intimidatory, people aren't going to invest in developing products if they have to spend most of the profits from them on litigation brought on by competitors whose principal aim is to just thwart competition.

Ekaros 4y ago

As long as you stay ahead of competition or make simply better products it will work. Someone might steal your design, but they still have to manufacture it and parts like pcb, case and so on. This will take certain amount of time and in this time you should come up with new better model that offers more to customers.

hilbert42 4y ago
That's fine if there's a level playing field. If a manufacturer can steal your design in China and get away with it and you can't do the same in the US then you're stuffed. And that's what's happened.

hilbert42 4y ago

"Copyright is useful, just not in its current state where it's being abused." I'd agree—and I'm not contradicting my earlier comment by saying that. It's that what passes as breach of copyright and patent law is so finely ground that neither corporate or national interests are properly served. So much time is wasted on protecting stuff that either isn't really a breach (so close to prior art) or on developments that are so trivial that they effectively amount to very little, that is the overall net result/outcomre is negative (even the winners only achieve a Pyrrhic victory). The only people who truly benefit from this over-grinding of the law are those in countries whose laws allow more flexibility. The over-fine grinding of law also acts as a disincentive as it's intimidatory, people aren't going to invest in developing products if they have to spend most of the profits from them on litigation brought on by competitors whose principal aim is to just thwart competition.