Save the Web From Software Patents 127
TheNextCorner writes "PersonalWeb's software patent suit against Github and others threatens the freedom of the Web. In order to make sure that the Web can remain a free and accessible space for everyone, we need to rid ourselves of all the patents that threaten its viability. We need to end software patents."
Time to end patents (Score:4, Interesting)
I was convinced they were needed, if only for Pharmaceuticals, where the testing time is long but the time to copy short, but now I'm having doubts even there:
http://levine.sscnet.ucla.edu/general/intellectual/against.htm
The test for me is the cure for aids vs the cure for limp penis. Patents simply haven't delivered a cure for a major disease in 30 years, they have however invented many ways to get a penis erect and a seemingly endless way to cure headaches.
US is stagnating, down from 1st to 3rd with China taking second spot on the exporters list. This I think is a direct result of strong IP laws.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_exports
Re:Humans are assholes. (Score:3, Interesting)
The tiny remainder who actually care about justice, and about helping humanity achieve its full potential, are completely outnumbered (by the slothful) and outgunned (by the powerful).
Yes, but this is the remainder we refer to as, Mad Scientist, Evil Genius, Arch Nemesis, etc... It only takes a few of those to make big changes.
I'm one of your "remainder". For instance: Let's sterilize all the retards, and institude licenses and genetic screening for all births. Let's require IQ tests for Citizenship (and thus voter's rights). Let's throw out any Judges and Jurors that can't pass a quiz on the subject the're ruling over. Let's treat the populous like test subjecs: Why roll out a economic, health, or other plan across the whole nation and hope it works, when you can experiment with a small state, roll out to a larger are incrementally as you work out kinks or just throw the plan away if it sucks? Equality?! Don't make me Mua-Ha-Haa!
In a Mad Scientist, the important part is the Scientist. The "Mad" part is your worthless opinion. You don't have to be any kind of scientist to realize that working under unproven asumptions is a bad idea. If you think you can fly, you first jump off a table and flap your arms; not from a 20 story building. The sane thing to do is collect a little proof by doing a little test before taking the big plunge. As a Scientist I say: If the Patent System is beneficial, then WHERE THE FUCK IS THE EVIDENCE? Let's do a test, and see?! No, they say? Then they're insane! You don't have to be Evil or a Genius to realize we have ZERO evidence for or against patents being benefical. The only sane thing to do is abolish patents and find out how harmful or beneficial they were. We can re-institute whatever rules we want later if it doesn't work out.
Right now all we have is an untested hypothesis -- a widespread established assumption; You know, like when everyone thought "The Earth is Flat!", it only took a few Mad Scientists to prove that wrong. If things keep going the way they're going and we don't at least do the experiment then we're eventually going to piss off the wrong Evil Genius -- The Patent Office might not be the only institution that gets obliterated by the "Mad" Scientists.