Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!hc!lll-winken!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!mslater
From: mslater@cup.portal.com (Michael Z Slater)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Probelms With Protecting Intellectual Property
Message-ID: <17752@cup.portal.com>
Date: 29 Apr 89 22:03:42 GMT
References: <233@imspw6.UUCP> <740@harrier.ukc.ac.uk> <272@cbnewsh.ATT.COM>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 11

It is my feeling that far too many patents are allowed today.  The vast
majority of patents are for ideas that many people have had, or will soon
have; because of external events, there is a time when certain ideas are
likely to arise in many places.  I believe that it is counterproductive
to grant monopolies to whoever manages to patent such an idea first.

I think that the standard for patentability needs to be dramatically
raised.  Only major, fundamentally new concepts should be eligible.  The
problem, of course, is who decid, and how.

Michael Slater, Microprocessor Report   mslater@cup.portal.com