[Patents] Patent system not there for inventors' benefit

[Bernard Lang <Bernard.Lang@inria.fr> (Bernard Lang)]

On Mon, May 07, 2001 at 11:12:07AM +0100, Edward Avis wrote:

> >Those patents have created over 400 million a year in gross national
> >product for the US, half of which is in my state (Michigan).
> 
> Er... patents don't themselves create wealth.  I could start charging
> people for walking along the road outside my house, that might count as
> an increase in GNP, but it would not make the country any richer.
> 
> There would be a real economic benefit from swpats in the case where the
> system would not have been built without them.  Can you say that?

actually, one major source of wealth is car accidents: they account
for a significant increase of GNP.

  On the other hand, maintaining a house or raising children is not
creating any wealth since it does not change the GNP.  Housewives are
social parasites that should be eliminated.

  This is the kind of conclusions one reaches when assessing the
economy and wealth through indicators (money being one of them) rather
than through actual goods and benefits (including services).

   Similar silly conclusions are reached by people who want to save
money now to feed retired workers in 20 years ...  Dollars genetically
engineered for high protein content are yet to be invented.

What I mean is that money is only a tool for redistributing wealth,
not a wealth in itself.  Saving dollars now will not create more food
or goods in 20 years (the issue usually discussed being the lack of
sufficient production in 20 years, when baby-boomers retire).


Bernard


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