Is patent protection good or bad?

[stephan]

There probably have been some good things that were invented from patent protection, but we would probably be driving 100 mpg cars by know if it didn't exist. In general, do all the benefits outweight the losses?

I used to be a big fan of patent protection, but I don't think I am anymore because it seems like a vice for big business.

[Borodog]

Patents are monopolies. Monopolies are in every case bad. End of story.

[HubertCumberdale]

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Patents are monopolies. Monopolies are in every case bad. End of story.

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So you would get rid of patents? Would you get rid of copyrights, trademarks, etc? All intellectual property?

That would stifle innovation on a grand scale.

[Borodog]

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Patents are monopolies. Monopolies are in every case bad. End of story.

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So you would get rid of patents? Would you get rid of copyrights, trademarks, etc? All intellectual property?

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Intellectual property cannot be logically defended. However, that does not imply that at least copyrights would not exist in a free market. I have a strong suspicion that they would, and would hence be a never ending source of conflict (despite the fact that property rights form to minimize and resolve conflicts).

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That would stifle innovation on a grand scale.

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No, it wouldn't. I find that assumption to be empirically ridiculous, given the vast quanitity of intellectual products that are created year in and year out without any hope of compensation whatsoever.

[VarlosZ]

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That would stifle innovation on a grand scale.

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No, it wouldn't. I find that assumption to be empirically ridiculous, given the vast quanitity of intellectual products that are created year in and year out without any hope of compensation whatsoever.

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Such as?

Also, "empircally ridiculous"? Don't you think that's an overstatement given the vast quanitity of intellectual products that are created year in and year out largely because of the prospect of compensation?

[mmbt0ne]

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That would stifle innovation on a grand scale.

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No, it wouldn't. I find that assumption to be empirically ridiculous, given the vast quanitity of intellectual products that are created year in and year out without any hope of compensation whatsoever.

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Such as?

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Gov't funded research. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]
Boro's favorite thing. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Borodog]

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That would stifle innovation on a grand scale.

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No, it wouldn't. I find that assumption to be empirically ridiculous, given the vast quanitity of intellectual products that are created year in and year out without any hope of compensation whatsoever.

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Such as?

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You're kidding, right?

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Also, "empircally ridiculous"? Don't you think that's an overstatement given the vast quanitity of intellectual products that are created year in and year out largely because of the prospect of compensation?

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Uh, no? Do you disagree that the volume of uncompensated intellectual products each year probably outweighs the compensated ones by a factor of a hundred, if not thousands? For every book that gets copyrighted and published, a hundred are written. For every band that gets signed and makes an album, a hundred labor in the garage and bars. For every movie that makes money at the mainstream box office there are a hundred made that never make a dime.

People like to create. They like to share what they like to create. Not having patent or copyright protections does not preclude people getting compensated for their creativity, it just means that arbitrary monopolies are not created.

[Nielsio]

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Patents are monopolies. Monopolies are in every case bad. End of story.

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So you would get rid of patents? Would you get rid of copyrights, trademarks, etc? All intellectual property?

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Pardon? He says monopolies are bad.

[4 High]

patents are teh suck.

[slickpoppa]

Borodog does not believe in intellectual property because he knows that intellectual property would not exist in an AC society. Ergo, it must be bad.