

Ask HN: Do you prefer a world without IP laws?  - kumarski


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ProblemFactory
No. But I believe copyright and patent laws should be refactored based on
their contribution to society, not the individual copyright or patent holders.

* The purpose of copyright is to encourage creation of _more_ works of art than would happen without it. In return, the rest of society agrees to grant the author a limited-time exclusive right for the work. Shorter (10-15 year) copyright terms should be sufficient to make a profit from a book/movie/software. After that, the authors can publish new or updated works to continue making money. There is no way the Disney corporation's copyright on Mickey Mouse character is still encouraging the long dead Walt Disney to produce more artworks.

* The purpose of patents is to encourage both more invention, and detailed publication the methods than would happen without it. In return, the rest of society agrees to grant the inventor a limited-time exclusive right to use the invention. Patents which are obvious, _or patents whose methods can be determined by looking at the final product or outcome_ do not bring value to the society in that transaction.

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kumarski
I think:

-the cost of innovating has become higher. -it's unusual for lawyers and accountants to determine the intensity and speed of relationships between customers and products/services. -since 1984, semiconductor companies have focused a large amount of resources on building patent armories rather than innovating. -a world without patent law would allow for competition and products/technologies to reach the entire world faster at viable prices. -that the world can function and entrepreneurs will be fine without IP protection.

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duncan_bayne
Yes.
[http://praxeology.net/anticopyright.htm](http://praxeology.net/anticopyright.htm)

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kumarski
This was awesome. Thank you for sharing.

