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

[Barry Margolin]

In article <jwvy8nysj1y.fsf-monnier+gnu.misc.discuss@gnu.org>,
 Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> wrote:

> > *more* on advertising -- not only would they have to convince consumers 
> > that they need the drug in the first place, they would also have to 
> 
> That's actually an interesting aspect as well: patents basically
> encourage greed-based research which leads to new products that are
> only marginally useful.  But it's OK from a money point of view:
> advertisement will convince people that they need it, and people with
> enough money (who cares about the rest, after all) will buy it anyway
> because they don't have much else left to buy with their money anyway.
> 
> I.e. the question is not just "do patents increase research" but also "what
> kind of research does it increase".

Do you really think that *patents* are what spur this?  I think 
commercialism in general is what does it.

-- 
Barry Margolin, barmar@alum.mit.edu
Arlington, MA
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