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> Seller has a temporary monopoly on some drugs via the government -controlled patent system. That's the problem, it gives them a government enforced monopoly
by RobotToaster 2y ago
> Seller has a temporary monopoly on some drugs via the government -controlled patent system.
That's the problem, it gives them a government enforced monopoly with no responsibility or obligation.
Patents should expire after a certain amount of profit is made from them, or come with some level of responsibility to use them for the public good.
- bdzr 2y agoThey expire after 20 years IIRC. There is some shenanigans that go on with "evergreening" where they try to expand it out for longer, but it's generally an effective system.
- RobotToaster 2y agoA lot of people can die in 20 years.
- psychoslave 2y ago>Patents should expire after a certain amount of profit is made from them, or come with some level of responsibility to use them for the public good. Not only patents, that should also apply to copyright and the like. If the goal is really to push insensitive for innovation, creating uncapped profit will mechanically lead to undesirable situation (as per the stated goal) where an oligarchy will relentlessly take the lion’s share and let next to nothing for the rest of their late competitors.
- tombert 2y agoThat "certain amount of profit" might be a lot higher than you think. Developing new drugs is a multi-billion dollar gamble. Between FDA approvals and research that doesn't go anywhere, drug making is a really losing game unless you make a metric ton of money.