[pp.int.general] Patent system similar to GPL?

[Gareth Nelson]

> Are you sure we need a closed patent system to have competition? Is
> competition more efficient than cooperation? What about patents on seeds
> that could save millions of lives every year? Why isn't there a solution
> for AIDS while billions of dollars/euro and 20 years have been spent over
> for research?

A proper competitive market is in fact more efficient for some things,
and we find competition even within free software (look at any 2
projects that perform the same function and you'll find they each
generally have a "why use X instead of Y?" question in their FAQ).
Patents DO NOT enable more efficient competition, all they do is cause
market distortion and give an unearned advantage to the patent owner,
especially in the case of software patents.


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