A Collection of Thoughts & Discoveries


Technology, Business, Giving, Etc.

  • “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” Ernest Hemmingway
  • “Judge each day not by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.” Robert Louis Stevenson
  • “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” Gandhi
  • “Noble deeds that are concealed are most esteemed.” Blaise Pascal
  • “A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.” Ayn Rand
  • “If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success.” John D. Rockefeller
  • “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” Thomas Jefferson
  • “Sense shines with a double luster when it is set in humility. An able yet humble man is a jewel worth a kingdom.” William Penn
  • “There is a great satisfaction in building good tools for other people to use.” Freeman Dyson
  • “You don't know what you can learn until you try to learn.” Ronald Coase
  • “Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.” Mark Twain
  • “Create more value than you capture.” Tim O'Reilly

Patent Wars: Of Smartphones and Sewing Machines

Bloomberg has posted an interesting article in which historical comparisons to patent infringement and litigation of the 1,800’s and today are made. Airplanes, sewing machines, agricultural reapers and smartphones share a history (and present) of conflicts over patents.

I’d like to see the tech patent wars end as they did with the sewing machine — with patent pools. It’s being reported that Apple and Google spent more on purchasing patents and litigation than on R & D last year. (I’d like to see most software patents go away altogether, but that’s a different issue, although it’s also discussed in the linked NYT article.)

The New York Times has also published a rather detailed article today on the topic of smartphone patent litigation which addresses some of the stresses the issues place on a bureaucratic system and on the markets.

Check out the Bloomberg article here.

The New York Times article is here. end of article icon

Posted on Monday, October 8, 2012 in Technology •

Comments

1. Posted by InnovativeSoftware.info on October 16, 2012

I like patents Dale. I do think they need an overhaul of the laws. But still providing limited time protection for someone who invents things is a great way to help less fortunate people build a bank account to bring even better things to consumers.

2. Posted by Dale Allyn on October 16, 2012

I’m in favor of patents as well, Rick. They’re an important tool to protect inventors and innovators. But as you say, the system needs to be revamped to better accommodate the current environment. The system is still run like it was 100 years ago.

I’m also a big supporter of copyrights as I feel artists (music, photography, designers, etc.) have a right to protect their intellectual and creative property.

However, I do feel that these lawsuits which are so commonplace now do cost the consumer, as well as stifle innovation in some cases. I’m not fond of most software patents and would like to see changes there. I also feel that many other patents, especially in tech, should provide protection for a shorter period of time, and require more precision in definitions.

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