Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft Pushes For Single Global Patent System
Xerolooper writes "What would the world be like if everyone could enjoy the same patent system we use in the USA? From the article: 'A senior lawyer at Microsoft is calling for the creation of a global patent system to make it easier and faster for corporations to enforce their intellectual property rights around the world.' They have already attracted opposition from the open-source community and the Pirate Party. According to the article, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) will be meeting in Geneva on the 17th and 18th of September."
corporations were more sensitive to regional preferences? What if companies respected laws as reflecting regional morals rather than lobbying with all their power for whatever is best for them?
No, there should be a software paterm term of 100 years ... the prison term for anyone who tries to file a patent on mathematics.
The correlation between ignorance of statistics and using "correlation is not causation" as an argument is close to 1.
Silence! Guards! Have this man cut in half! Send one half to the slug breeding caves and the other to the sun! Patent suffrage isn't extended to the likes of half burned up corpses bloated with slug eggs! Wahaha! Wahahaha!
Wait what? We don't have a worldwide empire yet? Well what can we do to him? Nothing? Well fine.
To answer your question, when the glorious day comes. No, you won't get a vote. Now get out of here!
And that was the last Terry Fox run I ever participated in.
The Pirate Party's opposing it? Well, then, if they're on the case, problem solved. Woohoo!
You, sir, are a five-digit slashdot user. There ARE no people sleeping with you, much less people sleeping with you who are buying licenses to use a period. (That's because I have patented the period, which I license to people for less than what you charge for "the dot". And I license it to half the population for a very small amount. If you are one of the people who hasn't paid your period license, contact me ... those cramps are the "crippleware" version you downloaded for free.)
How about a world king while we are at it?
Great, now you are giving them even more ideas!
And here I thought that the whole idea of "no taxation without representation" would mean something. Corporations are being taxed, but do not get to vote.
If you think corporations aren't getting representation you must not be from this planet. Yay! First Contact!
Support SETI@home
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Man, it's so good to hear someone say this.
It's all very well tapping your shoes together and saying "there's no such thing as imaginary property" but people don't do things out of the goodness of their heart. So much of our economy these days is in the abstract; services, ideas etc. People need to be able to make money from them. If the profit of a novel idea is diluted amongst a thousand imitators then the driving force is diluted to zero and no-one gains from taking risks an innovating. Is that the world we want to live in?
What we should really have is to get rid of the need for so much tax money to conduct the business of government.
People need to stop falling for politicians who bribe them with their own money.
Oh, if only that would happen! That is exactly spot-on.
But as long as we allow the government to seize so much wealth, politicians will continue to use this method to increase the governments' power, and citizens will fall for it if for no other reason than in desperation to try to get enough of their wealth back from the government that seized it to begin with to survive.
It's gotten so bad, the federal government doesn't even pretend that they don't do this intentionally to expand their power. Just look at how the federal government uses the threat of cutting off states from needed returns of tax money the feds have seized from the states to exert control over the states in matters that the Constitution says are to be decided by each state and the people therein.
There needs to be a revolt that throws out every incumbent politician until they finally get the message that we refuse to elect anyone that does not seek to drastically reduce the wealth the government seizes, by threat of force, from its' own citizens and begins to interpret & uphold the Constitution at face value again.
I have an awful feeling that it would take going quite far down the "four boxes in defense of Liberty", though. Then again, the way things are going, it will come to that anyway if the people truly tried to throw out the scoundrels. I'm pretty certain that if the government believed that the people were truly intent on seriously reducing its' power, there would be some sort of "emergency" declared, with marshal law and suspended elections.
It's a horrifying and likely very bloody prospect. However, waiting will just make the cost higher.
Strat
Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
Admit it, retirement is better with Viagra.
Storm
Say goodbye to a lot of software inventions.
And say hello to the far greater number of inventions so far unrealized because of the legal expense and danger.
[citation needed]
Actually, no, that would be unfair. Of course you can't cite an actual citation for your hypothetical 'what if' handwaving. Gosh, if only patents didn't exist, we'd all be multi-billionaires with flying cars and robotic servants. For proof, just consider the fact that patents do exist, and we aren't.
Who cares about huge profits. You worry about you. The profits are what is required to incentivize those that will work the 14 hour days, to do so. The shareholders elect who they think best fits the roll. If they think the CEO is being overpaid they can sell their shares. Or vote no on the retention bonus.
What is boils down to is grumbling jealous slashdotters that want a piece of the action without a piece of the labor. Again-- you worry about you. Taxing the corporations does nothing but make it more expensive to operate. If their profits are lower, they cannot consider hiring more people to expand their operations.
Tax the people getting the paychecks. Quit trying to flipping take over every single piece of society that hasn't been completely mauled by the government's hands yet.
Moderated "Funny"??
Just...wow.
Well, that confirms it. If anyone needed any more proof that Slashdot moderators were hitting the crack pipe, that should have done it.
Put the pipe down and back away, before you hurt yourself.
Just say "no" to drugs. They're bad for you, mkay?
Strat
Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
They seem to love them when they're talking about Linux stealing their IP.
I get the impression Ballmer loves them, but maybe others don't?