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July 11, 2005

Joi on software patents

Joi has a terrific post on why he, as a venture capitalist, is glad Europe rejected the software patent directive. Snippet:

I personally believe that software patents are primarily the tool of large companies with portfolios of patents which they cross-license with each other. Generally, it serves to keep competition out of the market and allows those with patents to push those without patents around or cut them out of markets entirely.

[Technorati tags: patents JoiIto]

Posted by D. Weinberger at July 11, 2005 03:41 PM

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Comments

FWIW, all patents serve to keep competition down. It is a well-known side-effect of patents, copyrights and trademarks. The idea behind patents and copyrights is that it spurs on innovation. Since competition is also good for innovation, patents become useful when the innovation created by patents is better or more plentiful than the innovation created by competition.

(There's also a theory that patents force competitors to find other methods of achieving the same goal; good for competition, but not always good for innovation.)

Posted by: Branko Collin | July 12, 2005 06:59 AM

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