These comments are not aimed at the author but are a counter point to
their reasoning.

Development of a new idea rarely pays for the development costs.
A level competitive playing field should also account for the mix
of development and early marketing costs for those ideas that
pay off and those that don't. Producing a product copy can put
the original developer at a significant competitive disadvantage.
For example, software tools.

Patents time out and long before they time out they are usually
no longer have a significant IP value.

The critics of the patent system have a point on many issues. The
patent office needs to do due diligence on prior art (case in point
all the software patents issued about 10 years ago - to be fair
essentially all of them have not been enforceable). The patent
office needs a better process of public review.

W..


> Some of us think that, since we live in a society that is supposedly
> driven by market forces, perhaps every business should compete on
> their merits or ability to compete in a free market.
     * * *
> If someone else can make the same product for less money, then
> it seems that the inventor perhaps lacks the "business accumen" to
> compete in a free market.



-- 
http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
View/change your membership options at
http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist