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It's ridiculous that a patent system exists that would allow someone to even try to patent the result of billions of years of evolution.
by tehwalrus 13y ago
It's ridiculous that a patent system exists that would allow someone to even try to patent the result of billions of years of evolution.
- B-Con 13y agoI think it's really the whole philosophical "create vs discover" thing. Only things that are created (with other restrictions) can be patented, things that are discovered cannot be. The problem arises, when do you draw the line? When you spend thousands of man hours in a scientific lab and millions of dollars to piece together a bit of understanding, was it discovered or created? The answer is often somewhat obvious. But I imagine that, behind closed (or semi-closed) doors, there are a lot of very persuasive people arguing for a very permissive definition of "create". While it's probably hard to properly classify everything accurately the first time you see it, hopefully time lets us get a better perspective and quickly re-classify.
- chm 13y agoIt's hard to draw the line. Cynically: What part of yourself (or anything else, really) is not the product of billions of year of evolution? To what extent can your actions be considered "original"? Can you prove that all of your actions, inactions, beliefs and ideas are an original and non-obvious product of your "self"? Can you prove the discontinuity between "you" and billions of years of evolution? All it takes is a reasonable doubt. I don't like the Supreme Court decision, but one has to break the circle somewhere.