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November 23, 2004
Intellectual property, part VI
C|Net and others are running articles like this one one why people like Linus Torvalds oppose software patent directives such as the one the EU is pushing.
David Arbogast comments, "Think about it... less protection for property means more copying and less innovation. Not the other way around." I have thought about it. It seems protecting good ideas from being freely shared strips them of their primary value, which is to provoke discussion, resulting in refinement, and thus even better ideas. This process is innovation.
In other words, copying, especially with slight variations, is part of innovation. Gee, maybe I agree with Bill Gates and that silly Freedom to Innovate campaign Microsoft had before they realized they are a monopoly and started paying the competition off to avoid lawsuits.
Posted by Mark at November 23, 2004 08:46 PM