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How does this story reflect on whether or not patents are vital to this industry? That seems a bit like reading a story about a drowning and saying, "This makes
by chc 12y ago
How does this story reflect on whether or not patents are vital to this industry? That seems a bit like reading a story about a drowning and saying, "This makes me wonder if water is really vital to human life." And I don't see how any of this reflects on other forms of intellectual property.
- lotsofmangos 12y agoIf IP disputes stop you using something when society as a whole really needs it, it doesn't really matter if the existence of IP was an efficient way of motivating the creators of that thing, as it is still effectively useless.
- csdrane 12y agoNow try replacing IP with personal property.
- lotsofmangos 12y agoPersonal property is subject to compulsory purchase all the time for municipal infrastructure and in times of emergency is subject to state requisition without compensation.
- dalke 12y agoPatent law already covers this case. TRIPS Agreement, article 31b allows "society as a whole" to use a patent without even contacting the patent holder "in the case of a national emergency or other circumstances of extreme urgency or in cases of public non-commercial use."