I understand your sentiment. However, it takes at least 18 to 36 months to get a patent in the first place! The legal processes simply move slower than the technical developments they cover.
Keeping an algorithim "proprietary" for years on end is perfectly fine. If you invested a million dollars developing an algorithim (or other process), why should you not have more than 18 months to try to recoup that investment?
Underlying a lot of criticism of software and algorithim patents is the unspoken thought that these would have been invented anyway. At least that's what I think is the issue with the Amazon.com one-click patent that everyone always complains about.
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I understand your sentiment. However, it takes at least 18 to 36 months to get a patent in the first place! The legal processes simply move slower than the technical developments they cover. Keeping an algorithim "proprietary" for years on end is perfectly fine. If you invested a million dollars developing an algorithim (or other process), why should you not have more than 18 months to try to recoup that investment? Underlying a lot of criticism of software and algorithim patents is the unspoken thought that these would have been invented anyway. At least that's what I think is the issue with the Amazon.com one-click patent that everyone always complains about.