Re: The patent process [Was Re: Sharing the Family PC is Patent-Pending]

[derelict]

On Tue, 11 May 2004 23:31:31 +0100, Barry Pearson wrote:

> So, instead of drug companies putting vast amounts of shareholder
> money into research, at great risk, academics would put vast amounts
> of taxpayer money into research, at great risk.

Pharmaceutical research is heavily subsidized by the US government.
Drug companies put about the same percentage of their after-subsidy
profits into R&D that tech companies do. "The high cost of R&D" is just
a line they use to get the rubes to happily pay exhorbitant prices.

> If you progress in this direction, you may eventually end up with the
> theory pursued by the Soviet Union, driven by central management
> rather than the profit motive. Did that work?

The way this country has been going, I'm starting to wonder if
American-style hyper-capitalism will turn out any better? 

Checking my oracle...

"Future hazy, try again later"

Oh, well. :o\