Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Re: got IP game?

Author:David Rothgery
Posted:9/22/2000; 4:50:16 AM
Topic:got IP game?
Msg #:21629 (In response to 21623)
Prev/Next:21628 / 21630

3. I would consider dramatically shortening the term of both patents and copyrights. Knowing that you can profit from your work for the first 5 years probably does encourage creation, but knowing that you could profit from it for the next 90 years probably adds very little incentive.

This idea too is very appealing to me. Of course, certain types of IP would need to be granted longer periods of time to recoup the original investment, while higher profit IP would need shorter payback cycles.

Loony idea I just thought of: Patents are good for X years (however long they're good for now), or 5 years from the first commercial use of the patent. The legislation might need some work to combat legal dodges.

The idea is that things that are patented during development can stay protected until they're commercially viable, and a few years after that, but then they become fair game.

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