i believe the patent system is not only to encourage innovation but to give credit where credit is due. if i invent a completely original widget and it's the latest and greatest thing then i want to be compensated for it. i want to profit from it and my family should be as well. however if i take metal and wrap it around my leaky battery, I'm not gonna bother trying to get a patent. its a trivial idea and I'm sure i wasn't the first to think of it. i would just be the first to profit that isn't innovation, its just being first to the patent office.
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i believe the patent system is not only to encourage innovation but to give credit where credit is due. if i invent a completely original widget and it's the latest and greatest thing then i want to be compensated for it. i want to profit from it and my family should be as well. however if i take metal and wrap it around my leaky battery, I'm not gonna bother trying to get a patent. its a trivial idea and I'm sure i wasn't the first to think of it. i would just be the first to profit that isn't innovation, its just being first to the patent office.
voice recognition?.. thats just too obvious! :-)