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Ideas are worthless, that's what everyone likes to repeat. I've raised the example before that ideas aren't worthless, for example patents have value but was c

Ideas are worthless, that's what everyone likes to repeat. I've raised the example before that ideas aren't worthless, for example patents have value but was criticised because "patents are not ideas, they are execution". Notch seems to think patents are ideas. I don't know enough about patents to really draw a conclusion as to if they are expressions of ideas or executions of ideas. Also, the example of writing your own similar book is quite a clumsy one for patent infringement.

antjohnst 14y ago
I agree the example is clumsy because people will find it hard in that example to imagine why a novel is patentable (because it is obviously not in our world, ironically lacking the criteria of being "novel"!) I felt like notch matured a while ago but this is a surprisingly childish rant from him, i honestly felt it was a bit below him. He has a point, a valid point, but he has not conveyed it very well, and has caused collatoral damage to other valid fields for patents in the process of criticizing software patents.
- TomGullen 14y ago
  I totally agree, I really like Notch usually. His posts are concise, to the point and honest. This one isn't very well thought out and is adding more confusion into the pot.
- billswift 14y ago
  Before you get too wrapped up in the idea of "other valid fields for patents", you might check out some of those other fields. There is actually quite a bit of evidence against patents in many other fields as well, though the only link I have handy is to Derek Lowe's discussions related to pharma - http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/patents_and_ip/ http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/patents_and_ip/
  - antjohnst 14y ago
    Have a read of my other comment on the page (search antjohnst to speed up finding it) giving an example in the pharma industry.
ZeroGravitas 14y ago
Stallman gave a talk trying to compare software patents and literary patents: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/software-literary-patents.en.html http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/software-literary-patents.en.h... I think it works and the "clumsiness" comes from the reality of patents e.g. see the smartphone patent wars.

antjohnst 14y ago

I agree the example is clumsy because people will find it hard in that example to imagine why a novel is patentable (because it is obviously not in our world, ironically lacking the criteria of being "novel"!) I felt like notch matured a while ago but this is a surprisingly childish rant from him, i honestly felt it was a bit below him. He has a point, a valid point, but he has not conveyed it very well, and has caused collatoral damage to other valid fields for patents in the process of criticizing software patents.

TomGullen 14y ago
I totally agree, I really like Notch usually. His posts are concise, to the point and honest. This one isn't very well thought out and is adding more confusion into the pot.
billswift 14y ago
Before you get too wrapped up in the idea of "other valid fields for patents", you might check out some of those other fields. There is actually quite a bit of evidence against patents in many other fields as well, though the only link I have handy is to Derek Lowe's discussions related to pharma - http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/patents_and_ip/ http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/patents_and_ip/
- antjohnst 14y ago
  Have a read of my other comment on the page (search antjohnst to speed up finding it) giving an example in the pharma industry.

ZeroGravitas 14y ago

Stallman gave a talk trying to compare software patents and literary patents: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/software-literary-patents.en.html http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/software-literary-patents.en.h... I think it works and the "clumsiness" comes from the reality of patents e.g. see the smartphone patent wars.