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The New Yorker on Business Process Patents

Posted by michael on from the bending-is-patented dept.

caledon writes "The New Yorker has a clear, concise, nontechnical essay by its finance columnist James Surowiecki criticizing business process patents: Patent Bending. 'Although we have always had a vibrant patent system, we've managed to strike a balance between the need to encourage innovation and the need to foster competition. As Benjamin Day, Henry Ford, and Sam Walton might attest, American corporations have thrived on innovative ideas and new business methods, without owning them, for two centuries. In the past decade, the balance has been upset.' Makes the argument persuasively."

4 of 315 comments (clear)

  1. First Post by Lew+Pitcher · · Score: 3, Funny

    Patent pending, 2003, All rights reserved

    --

    "values of beta will give rise to dom!"

  2. Re:Greed != Good anymore. by Surak · · Score: 2, Funny

    I, for one, welcome our corporate overlords!

    Hail the mighty Gates! Glory to Oppenheim! DISNEY IS MY GOD!!!

    Oh wait...wrong movie...

    --
    My journal has hot /. gossip.
  3. Re:Fast Food ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny
    May seem obvious now, but back then it was huge that you could get your food in less then 10 minutes.

    Thankfully I can now get my 1400 calorie cheeseburgers without even taking the effort to haul my fat ass out of the car these days. Woohoo! Way to go Wendys. I'll take a biggie size triple cheeseburger and fries please!

  4. Alright then: Frist Psot ! by mechant_evil · · Score: 2, Funny

    Frist Psot, Patent pending, 2003, All rights reserved

    I'm sure i'm gonna be able to fool a bunch of customers with something similar to First Post.