Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Who’s behind the last-minute push to thwart patent reform?

washingtonpost.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 65 posts

Re: Who’s behind the last-minute push to thwart patent reform?

#31

Post by ulfw »

danielweber wrote: post #18
rayiner wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Complaining about oligarchs and special interests misses the mark, in my opinion. Last month, the following companies launched a group to oppose the proposed reforms: Apple, Microsoft, IBM, DuPont, Pfizer, Ford, and GE: http://partnershipforamericaninnovation.org . That's a really broad spectrum of iconic American technology companies. These were joined by a number of research universities as well as groups represent…

Microsoft is an American company that employs 100,000 people, more than Google, Twitter, Yahoo!, and Facebook combined. This is a key point. Whatever arguments you can make about the economic efficiency of IP laws[1], favoring the industry that employs a lot more people isn't "un-democratic." It's democracy, good and hard. [2] Those 100,000 people can easily outvote all the other companies. It's exactly the opposite…

Well it depends on wether 1 company employing 100,000 people is better or 10,000 companies employing 10 each. Of course it's easier to represent the will of 1 vs the not-always-overlapping-voices of 10,000.

Re: Who’s behind the last-minute push to thwart patent reform?

#34

Post by AnimalMuppet »

lowbloodsugar wrote: post #27

"The bipartisan compromise on patents was headed for a markup on Thursday. But Leahy suddenly took it off the table after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) intervened at the last minute, according to multiple people close to the negotiations." Would these be multiple Republican people? Kill the bill and blame it on Reid! Twofer! Not saying its true, just awed by the credulity of some of the comments here.

That could work... if Reid was stupid. Stupid enough to be manipulated by the Republicans, and then stupid enough to just silently take the blame.

I don't think that Reid got where he is by being politically stupid. Therefore, I don't buy your scenario.

[Edit: I just re-read the parent, and realized the claim was that Republicans did the killing, not that they manipulated Reid into doing the killing. I still don't buy it.]

Re: Who’s behind the last-minute push to thwart patent reform?

#35

Post by Joeri »

rayiner wrote: post #14
gyardley wrote: post #5

Grousing about oligarchs, special interests, and the political system as a whole is unproductive and misguided. After all, patent reform has already passed with huge bipartisan support in the House of Representatives. Instead, you should focus on the politician most responsible for blocking patent reform - Harry Reid, and the power he wields as Senate Majority Leader. He might not be up for re-election until 2016, bu…

Complaining about oligarchs and special interests misses the mark, in my opinion. Last month, the following companies launched a group to oppose the proposed reforms: Apple, Microsoft, IBM, DuPont, Pfizer, Ford, and GE: http://partnershipforamericaninnovation.org . That's a really broad spectrum of iconic American technology companies. These were joined by a number of research universities as well as groups represent…

Those companies are not voters. If the voters say A and all the PR departments of all companies say B then in a democracy A should happen, not B.

Re: Who’s behind the last-minute push to thwart patent reform?

#36

Post by AnimalMuppet »

rosser wrote: post #25
gyardley wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like I said, patent reform has already passed with huge bipartisan support in the House of Representatives. It's clear here that the problems aren't with 'American democracy' (or any other incredibly-broad and incredibly-hard-to-change system) but with a few ever-so-ejectable politicians. We can agree to disagree, but I believe that blaming the problem on structural issues encourages apathy and helplessness in a way…

And focusing on Reid lets the actual bad actors continue to get away with it. Reid is a symptom . Or do you honestly think that if Reid is voted out or loses his leadership post for this kind of behavior, the next guy won't step up, hands out in supplication to the very same special interests?

If doing so costs Reid the next election, then his successor may well not obey those special interests.

Re: Who’s behind the last-minute push to thwart patent reform?

#37

Post by rayiner »

ulfw wrote: post #31
danielweber wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Microsoft is an American company that employs 100,000 people, more than Google, Twitter, Yahoo!, and Facebook combined. This is a key point. Whatever arguments you can make about the economic efficiency of IP laws[1], favoring the industry that employs a lot more people isn't "un-democratic." It's democracy, good and hard. [2] Those 100,000 people can easily outvote all the other companies. It's exactly the opposite…

Well it depends on wether 1 company employing 100,000 people is better or 10,000 companies employing 10 each. Of course it's easier to represent the will of 1 vs the not-always-overlapping-voices of 10,000.

This is a good point, but remember the small business coalition is split. Congress sees some small businesses saying that troll lawsuits hinder their business, while others, particularly in capital-intensive areas like telecoms or medical devices, saying that patents give them protections from larger competitors and provide leverage in getting funding and or being acquired.

Re: Who’s behind the last-minute push to thwart patent reform?

#38

Post by protomyth »

maxerickson wrote: post #30
protomyth wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Term limits won't do anything except cycle the politicians faster. There are two systems that need to be cut in DC to change the tenor. The first is the cycle of government employees overseeing contracts and then going to work as lobbyists or employees for the people they were overseeing. Passing an amendment that says no government appointee or senior staff member can go work for any company they had contact with wh…

That seems like it might have some negative effects on the pool of people willing to take those jobs. One thing that would probably help but will never happen would be to figure out how to make committee chairs service positions that had less influence over the output of the committee than the other members.

> That seems like it might have some negative effects on the pool of people willing to take those jobs.

Good. I think the people using these government jobs in this manner are the people we don't need overseeing those contracts.

Re: Who’s behind the last-minute push to thwart patent reform?

#39

Post by AnthonyMouse »

rayiner wrote: post #14
gyardley wrote: post #5

Grousing about oligarchs, special interests, and the political system as a whole is unproductive and misguided. After all, patent reform has already passed with huge bipartisan support in the House of Representatives. Instead, you should focus on the politician most responsible for blocking patent reform - Harry Reid, and the power he wields as Senate Majority Leader. He might not be up for re-election until 2016, bu…

Complaining about oligarchs and special interests misses the mark, in my opinion. Last month, the following companies launched a group to oppose the proposed reforms: Apple, Microsoft, IBM, DuPont, Pfizer, Ford, and GE: http://partnershipforamericaninnovation.org . That's a really broad spectrum of iconic American technology companies. These were joined by a number of research universities as well as groups represent…

> Apple, Microsoft, IBM, DuPont, Pfizer, Ford, and GE

DuPont, Pfizer, Ford and GE are in industries that are not plagued by patent trolls. That they're against it tells you nothing about how it would affect them because they don't experience the problem the legislation solves, so it necessarily creates nothing but downside risk for them. No matter how small that risk is, requiring them to put their full support behind it in order to fix somebody else's problem is requiring reform to fail.

But it is also disingenuous to suggest that they are the major force against reform, because the bill is quite well targeted specifically at patent trolls. The downside risk for Pfizer et al is extremely small. They may not support it but it's hardly going to put them out of business if it passes. What it would do is put a huge number of patent trolls out of business (along with the lawyers that represent them), and in so doing save a huge number of jobs at the startups they would have extorted or bankrupted. Which is why everyone is saying that the trial lawyers are the ones that most wanted to kill reform -- because the trial lawyers are the ones that most wanted to kill reform.

Re: Who’s behind the last-minute push to thwart patent reform?

#40

Post by Shebanator »

danielweber wrote: post #18
rayiner wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Complaining about oligarchs and special interests misses the mark, in my opinion. Last month, the following companies launched a group to oppose the proposed reforms: Apple, Microsoft, IBM, DuPont, Pfizer, Ford, and GE: http://partnershipforamericaninnovation.org . That's a really broad spectrum of iconic American technology companies. These were joined by a number of research universities as well as groups represent…

Microsoft is an American company that employs 100,000 people, more than Google, Twitter, Yahoo!, and Facebook combined. This is a key point. Whatever arguments you can make about the economic efficiency of IP laws[1], favoring the industry that employs a lot more people isn't "un-democratic." It's democracy, good and hard. [2] Those 100,000 people can easily outvote all the other companies. It's exactly the opposite…

So lets see if I have your argument straight: when we do something in Microsoft's interest, it helps their 100,000 employees. But if we do something in Google/Twitter/Yahoo/Facebook's interest, it helps the oligarchs who own their stock. Sure glad Microsoft doesn't have to worry about pleasing any of those pesky oligarch shareholders.
Post reply on HN