From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,FREEMAIL_FROM autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,52a0bacbcdd2da17 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2003-08-18 12:36:43 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!sn-xit-02!sn-xit-04!sn-xit-03!sn-xit-01!sn-xit-08!supernews.com!priapus.visi.com!hermes.visi.com!news-out.visi.com!petbe.visi.com!ash.uu.net!spool.news.uu.net!not-for-mail Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2003 15:36:33 -0400 From: Hyman Rosen User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.5a) Gecko/20030611 Thunderbird/0.1a X-Accept-Language: en-us, en MIME-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Software Patent Concerns => New Black Markets? References: In-Reply-To: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Organization: KBC Financial Products Message-ID: <1061235392.884013@master.nyc.kbcfp.com> Cache-Post-Path: master.nyc.kbcfp.com!unknown@aphelion.nyc.kbcfp.com X-Cache: nntpcache 3.0.1 (see http://www.nntpcache.org/) NNTP-Posting-Host: 204.253.250.10 X-Trace: 1061235392 24105 204.253.250.10 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:41695 Date: 2003-08-18T15:36:33-04:00 List-Id: Robert C. Leif wrote: > Why do you want a system that discriminates against software inventors? We don't. We want to discriminate against inventors in general. The patent system is a devil's bargain at the best of times, because it drastically limits freedom of expression. It makes sense for some cases where the costs of invention are high, the reproducilibilty is cheap, and the invention is useless unless marketed. Developing new drugs is such a thing - a drug company has no use for drugs except to sell them; it itself isn't sick. Developing software usually fails the third test, because much software is written to be used, not sold. Ditto for business processes; Amazon developed one-click to enhance the utility of its web shopping site. What many people seem to forget is that the vast majority of people get paid for the time they work, and no more. The people who erected MS's office building do not receive payments for the software developed there.