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Patent Troll: Anyone Using WiFi Infringes; Won't Sue Individuals 'At This Stage'

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Re: Patent Troll: Anyone Using WiFi Infringes; Won't Sue Individuals 'At This Stage'

#91

Post by Astrohacker »

MartinCron wrote: post #88
Astrohacker wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You wouldn't replace it with anything. You'd need a cultural change where people recognized that stealing is always wrong, even if they call it taxes and declare it legal. Police and courts would be businesses like any other and not funded by force. As for examples, America was founded in liberty. Unfortunately the nightmare scenario is playing out in real time as the US evolves from the tiny government of two centur…

Are you really making the claim that we have less liberty today than we did two hundred years ago? Maybe if you're a white male landowner. For everyone else, things have been getting progressively better over the last few hundred years.

Things have gotten better for most people because of moral advances and technological advances. But government has gotten worse and has slowed down progress.

Re: Patent Troll: Anyone Using WiFi Infringes; Won't Sue Individuals 'At This Stage'

#92

Post by brlewis »

pyre wrote: post #50
sliverstorm wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gah, you're right, I was thinking of trademarks. I need to stop mixing trademarks, patents and copyright up in my head.

IIRC, you could argue in court that the patent-holder knew that infringement was happening, yet only decided to come out of the woodwork in the 11th hour. I think that this defense has worked in the past, but you would need to spend a bunch of money to get to that point though.

Yes. http://www.patentlyo.com/patent/2008/10/laches-and-equi.html...

Re: Patent Troll: Anyone Using WiFi Infringes; Won't Sue Individuals 'At This Stage'

#93

Post by radu_floricica »

0x12 wrote: post #81
radu_floricica wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've read that the possibility to patent genes led to the explosion of the field some years back. Are there such positive examples discussed in the book?

They led to an explosion of patents on genes, not to an explosion of applicable research. The research would have happened anyway, maybe a bit later or maybe not as patent directed.

It's the "maybe a bit later" part I wished I'd find better researched. I remember the source I found was pretty trustworthy, but still just one data point.

Re: Patent Troll: Anyone Using WiFi Infringes; Won't Sue Individuals 'At This Stage'

#94

Post by wnight »

adestefan wrote: post #86
wnight wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nope. The problem is granting monopolies and expecting to encourage growth. It's nonsensical. Even if our courts were up to it, and we see time and hand again that they are not, you simply cannot consistently enforce incoherent laws. All IP laws other than trademark are harmful to society and the economy and need to be abolished.

You think that if I were to write a song and post a recording of it on YouTube, then it would be perfectly acceptable for anyone, from the grandmother down the street to the ultra-mega business in the big city, to take my lyrics and melody and make mounds of money from it without compensating me in the least?

Absolutely. You got your compensation already when you learned about music from everyone else. And even if not, it's just morally wrong and nigh impossible to contain ideas.

How do you think the ultra-mega-corp is going to get unreasonably huge without monopoly control of creation or distribution though? And with tiny profit margins because their competitors can just copy them.

I also don't think you should get government help in keeping secret the method you use to do anything. It's possible to look at you and see what you're doing - if you do it where people can see you they'll just naturally be able to copy you. We'd have to lobotomize them or set up some ridiculous bureau of ideas to check everything for originality. Both nonsensical. A society can't afford to handicap its creators.

Re: Patent Troll: Anyone Using WiFi Infringes; Won't Sue Individuals 'At This Stage'

#95

Post by redthrowaway »

skrebbel wrote: post #84
redthrowaway wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Say what you will about the trolls; these guys have it figured out. They're targeting people with enough cash to make it go away, but not enough to mount a proper defence. Prior art doesn't enter the picture, as the trolls' targets are unlikely to retain counsel. When it costs as much to retain a lawyer as it does to make the issue go away, it's perfectly rational for the small business owner to pay up and move on. T…

An acquaintance of mine goes by bars, small stores and coffee shops in his town. He tells them that he knows the neighbourhood pretty well, and that for the low, low fee of $400 a month, he can make sure that their store doesn't burn down or get trashed. It's cynical, reprehensible, and evil, but it's a pretty solid business model.

Nobody's saying it isn't a protection racket, just that it makes more sense for individual business owners to pay the extortion than to tangle with the mob, even if the net result is everyone having to pay extortion to a powerful mafia.

Re: Patent Troll: Anyone Using WiFi Infringes; Won't Sue Individuals 'At This Stage'

#96

Post by eru »

burgerbrain wrote: post #90
eru wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> America was founded in liberty. Does this mean anything?

The way I see it, when I read the constitution, it is fairly clear that the government was engineered to be a sort of anti-government. Something put into place to fill the power vacuum to prevent other "real" (defined as pretty much every other government they were familiar with at the time) from moving in and taking control. Of course, I'm an anarchist, so I might be projecting... I think they also failed miserably…

Liberty for some, I'd say. Just to give an example: Lots of the founding fathers were happily owning slaves.

Re: Patent Troll: Anyone Using WiFi Infringes; Won't Sue Individuals 'At This Stage'

#97

Post by MartinCron »

burgerbrain wrote: post #90
eru wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> America was founded in liberty. Does this mean anything?

The way I see it, when I read the constitution, it is fairly clear that the government was engineered to be a sort of anti-government. Something put into place to fill the power vacuum to prevent other "real" (defined as pretty much every other government they were familiar with at the time) from moving in and taking control. Of course, I'm an anarchist, so I might be projecting... I think they also failed miserably…

Of course, I'm an anarchist, so I might be projecting..

You're totally projecting. The constitution is pro-liberty and anti-tyranny, but it isn't really anti-government. One example: Patent protection is in the constitution, not exactly an anti-government stance.

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