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0 pointsdreamdu5t12y ago0 comments

It is not well established or popular opinion. I work at a startup and many of my co-workers support patents, copyright, and intellectual property while simultaneously decrying patents like this.

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alipang12y ago

I don't find it helpful to mix in copyright/intellectual property into this discussion as there is no reason why you can't support these while not supporting the patenting of ideas.

Personally I don't regard two-step authentication, or software patents in general as a kind of "invention", and don't find they should be patentable, much like "prime numbers" or "the periodic table".

dreamdu5tOP12y ago

I'd be interested in the reasoning you would support copyright but not patents? Copyright and patents have the exact same justification, just one is for published works and the other for "inventions." Both copyright and patents are titles of ownership to information.

alipang12y ago

I support patents, just not software patents. You can spend billions developing a new drug, and companies need to get reimbursed somehow for that, or everybody loses.

How much you think was been spent "inventing" two-factor authentication?

Can you give an example of software that you'd argue wouldn't have been developed if there were no software patents?

wnight12y ago

Copyright is somewhat legitimate because it recognizes that I may create an identical work especially if the problem space is small.

Patents are all about camping on an idea you hope is so obvious the next people will instinctively think of the same thing.

dsl12y ago

The people who don't like software patents, are the people who don't have any good ones.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

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alipang12y ago

I don't find it helpful to mix in copyright/intellectual property into this discussion as there is no reason why you can't support these while not supporting the patenting of ideas.

dreamdu5tOP12y ago

alipang12y ago

I support patents, just not software patents. You can spend billions developing a new drug, and companies need to get reimbursed somehow for that, or everybody loses.

How much you think was been spent "inventing" two-factor authentication?

Can you give an example of software that you'd argue wouldn't have been developed if there were no software patents?

wnight12y ago

Copyright is somewhat legitimate because it recognizes that I may create an identical work especially if the problem space is small.

Patents are all about camping on an idea you hope is so obvious the next people will instinctively think of the same thing.

dsl12y ago

The people who don't like software patents, are the people who don't have any good ones.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse