Live data from Hacker News

A new instrument found unusual success

theguardian.com

21–30 of 112 posts

Re: A new instrument found unusual success

#21
post #5
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> patent trolling They’re just not licensing the patent to other manufacturers. Patent trolling is an entirely different thing.

It’s a form of patent trolling. The point of patents is that inventors should be compensated fairly for their inventions. Not that they should be able to prevent the production of those inventions like little dictators - that does not advance society.

>It’s a form of patent trolling

No, it's not. Patent trolling has a specific meaning (having vacuous broad patents or using patents against companies who aren't really infringing, associated with not having an actual product and making your money off this, usually having hoarded many patents exactly for this purpose).

This is simply the creator of this design enforcing their patent, like any business with a patented product does.

>Not that they should be able to prevent the production of those inventions like little dictators - that does not advance society.

Nope, it's exactly that they should be able to control the production of their inventions. If it wasn't for that control, patents would have no practical purpose.

Re: A new instrument found unusual success

#23

Soo... Electric version of concert kokle? And that got patented?

It's very different from kokle. The harpejji is tapped, while the kokle is strummed, for one. A closer comparison would be a chapman stick.

Like this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ovccPopjCs

Re: A new instrument found unusual success

#25
This looked incredibly complicated to play initially, but at this particular point of the "Playing basics" video, I was sold: https://youtu.be/AUnvq2zRU6k?t=85

And it gets better when you see the scales and chords section.

The video also explains that it uses piezoelectric sensors.

Re: A new instrument found unusual success

#26
post #11
post #3

Absolutely awful they are patent trolling so hard with this Feels exactly like E-Ink Let us have cheap copies for the masses!

I'm not a fan of patents, but in that case, it's not like some bigco seeking to perpetually extend monopolistic rights on some product - the inventor is alive, they made what seems like a genuine contribution to the world, and that contribution is very concrete and complete - not some hollow vaguely generic not directly usable "design". So it's actually a case where patents are a good fit: the inventor gets to decide…

That might be good for the inventor, but that whole thinking that the inventor’s rights trump the rest of the world’s is pre-modern. As we have seen from the last couple of decades, it is always better for consumers when the “official” product exists alongside some cheaper version that one can order from e.g. Aliexpress.

Re: A new instrument found unusual success

#27
post #5
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> patent trolling They’re just not licensing the patent to other manufacturers. Patent trolling is an entirely different thing.

It’s a form of patent trolling. The point of patents is that inventors should be compensated fairly for their inventions. Not that they should be able to prevent the production of those inventions like little dictators - that does not advance society.

The point of patents is quite literally that inventors get to control the production of their inventions.

Re: A new instrument found unusual success

#29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's very different from kokle. The harpejji is tapped, while the kokle is strummed, for one. A closer comparison would be a chapman stick.

Like this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ovccPopjCs

he's very clearly plucking bro cmon
Post reply on HN