James Swayze says:
> Timothy Bates wrote:
> >
> > As a disbeliever in patents, this article warmed my heart,
> > http://www.around.com/patent.html
>
> As a hopeful inventor can someone explain to me why patents are
> considered bad?
> In a free capitalist society shouldn't an individual profit from
> their hard won
> intellectual efforts?
No. In a free capitalist society, people should profit from the free
exchange of goods or services with other individuals, or any other
freely entered profitable contract or dealing. By contrast, if you
obtain a patent, you prevent me, via a state granted monopoly on a
particular implementation of an idea, from using my own intelligence,
labor and industry to similarly profit.
This is coercive, oppressive and destructive, as well as against
liberty.
> Is intellectual property worth less because it springs
> sometimes so easily from the creative mind? ...
No, make all the profits you want off your legitimate intellectual
property. (Hint -- if your so-called property derives from a grant
from the government, its legitimacy is highly questionable. In this
case, it's a government hand out.) I make profits from my
intellectual property -- I write computer programs, and help people
integrate other peoples' software into their systems. These profits
do not depend on coercing others into not doing likewise. That's a
bullies' game, not fit for free women and men.
Regards,
James Wetterau
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