>Q How do you respond to the counter argument that research costs are huge and patents help companies protect their investment? >A We're not trying to stifle i

>Q How do you respond to the counter argument that research costs are huge and patents help companies protect their investment? >A We're not trying to stifle innovation, what we're trying to do is set a legal framework that says 'okay, you can take a picture from the road, but pointing a camera at my bedroom window, that's not such a good idea'. Google Street View's a really good example of this. People were up in arms, saying 'no this shouldn't happen, yes it should happen'. We want to see laws in place before it happens, rather than after, so everybody knows where they stand. That doesn't answer the question at all. I hope this doesn't become a trend with them.