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It's quite possible to be both anti-patent and anti-ripoff.

The question is whether and to what degree the government and courts should be involved, and the inability to draw bright lines provides a strong argument against.

The legal system is making "I know it when I see it" decisions. I think that should be avoided whenever possible.



If you don't involve the legal system, there is _no_ provision against rip-offs. So yes, you can be anti-patent and anti-ripoff, but it's a rather incoherent world view. (Unless you assume humans are innately good and can be persuaded to do the right thing without external force. In that case, I wish you luck, but I'm in too cynical a mood to follow that argument)


It's not incoherent, it's making a judgment call: Hard protections against ripoffs are not worth the negative effects involved.




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