The purpose of a patent or copywrite is to protect the commercial value of an idea, invention, or written product. It does not, in an of itself, limit innovation. What it does do is insure that the innovator has the opportunity to realize some income from the idea. Not a bad concept for the individual with the idea. Not a bad concept for a corporation, such as Lucent or Intel that spends a billion dollars a year on research.
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The purpose of a patent or copywrite is to protect the commercial value of an idea, invention, or written product. It does not, in an of itself, limit innovation. What it does do is insure that the innovator has the opportunity to realize some income from the idea. Not a bad concept for the individual with the idea. Not a bad concept for a corporation, such as Lucent or Intel that spends a billion dollars a year on research.