On: Poll: Do you support software patents?

[notJim]

I'm somewhat surprised that the vast majority of people here are against all software patents. I agree that many software patents are absurd, but I think of things like H.264 and MPEG where true innovation was required on the part of the people who developed it, and it seems clear to me that those people have a right to patent that work.

I'm curious though: what do people see as being the alternative?

[GregBuchholz → notJim]

Since no one seems to have mentioned it yet: Against Intellectual Monopoly (http://levine.sscnet.ucla.edu/papers/anew.all.pdf)

[petegrif → GregBuchholz]

I have read the piece in question. I don't understand how it answers Notjim's question. What is the alternative?