> One developer refusing to file for patents on their work is not going to make any difference and will only put them at a competitive disadvantage. That is pr

> One developer refusing to file for patents on their work is not going to make any difference and will only put them at a competitive disadvantage. That is precisely the prisoners dilemma http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner%27s_dilemma http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner%27s_dilemma and is a classic example of short-term thinking (for a better story, see "iterated prisoner's dilemma"). Specifically here, if one developer refuses to file for patents and influences his fellow developers to do so as well, they can eventually change society. And such influence is much more possible when not only talking about how bad patents are but when actually refusing to file such patents.