patents

[Eric Dunbar]

On 30/03/06, Eric Dunbar <eric.dunbar at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 30/03/06, Brian Puccio <brian at brianpuccio.net> wrote:
> > On Wed, 2006-03-29 at 14:52 -0500, Eric Dunbar wrote:
> > > > MP3 will never be Free in the Debian/FSF/GNU/etc sense of the word.
> > >
> > > MP3 will be 'free' once the relevant patents expire!
> >
> > I have a feeling many tech companies will start to look to extend the
> > times of their patents, much in the way Disney (and the rest of the huge
> > media conglomerate) have been successful at lobbying for copyright
> > extension.
>
> Fortunately I don't think they have too much power to change the
> system. There haven't been major shifts in patent limits and laws like
> there have in copyright (copytheft!!!). In pharmaceuticals patents are
> 'extended' by patenting a drug for a different treament or making
> minor modifications to the way the drug is made. However, that said,
> the original patents do expire and the invention enters the 'public
> domain'.

PS too many people make too much money off expired patents*, and
society derives too many benefits from patent expiry** for the same
kind of highway robbery to happen with patents as happened with
copyright in Europe and North America (and, allied countries).

*opportunity for new ideas -- generics in pharmacy, chip development,
electronics, etc.
**cheaper electronics, cheap generics, innovative pharmaceuticals,
cheaper pharmaceuticals