Re: Gates Patents Flipping a Light Switch

[Barry Margolin]

In article <c833ju$e4b$1@blue.rahul.net>,
 c.c.eiftj@GatesXPate.usenet.us.com (Rahul Dhesi) wrote:

> Barry Margolin <barmar@alum.mit.edu> writes:
> 
> > Microsoft Loses Patent Suit
> ...
> >Now tell me: if there wasn't a patent system, what do you think would 
> >have happened to Stac?
> 
> Does anybody really care?  Stac's patents were of dubious innovative
> value to begin with.
> 
> The point that is repeatedly lost on those who defend the current patent
> system is:  Nobody reads patents for the purpose of learning new things.

So?  Patents are not supposed to be a replacement for technical 
journals.  Patent protection allows the inventor to publish details in a 
journal without having to worry about a competitor using this against 
them.

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