4 ms·
This just does not work well unless there is overarching enforcer, because the majority can decide to steal from the minority, or those not in the group. And t
by codex 14y ago
This just does not work well unless there is overarching enforcer, because the majority can decide to steal from the minority, or those not in the group. And there are some patents so valuable that no social penalty can keep a company from violating them; it's either violate or go out of business.
Another voluntary group like this is the UN; it is completely ineffective in matters of security.
- oleganza 14y agoIf majority can decide to steal from the minority, you cannot have democracy. Do you propose a self-proclaimed minority that will have guns to enforce peace and morality to protect you against majority? Seriously, though. Patents are valuable only because there is a small amount of people with guns and prisons. Everyone else despises guns. Neither you, nor Apple lawyers would want to enforce IP using their bare hands or paying for killers out of their pocket. Same for funding soldiers killing people around the world. The existing threat of murder ("obey the patent or give your money, or go to jail, or be shot down") is here because it is already being paid for by taxpayers. And since nobody is upset about it, it feels clean and easy to use it. But in free society it will not be clean and easy to use violence. You would have to pay for it yourself. And people would pay for guns only in extreme cases for personal protection in some weird dangerous areas. Otherwise it's too damn risky. But when it's regularly paid from taxes, any enforced regulation becomes possible, any crazy PATRIOT act or SOPA becomes readily available to society without much discussion.