[Patents] Patent system not there for inventors' benefit

[epa98@doc.ic.ac.uk (Edward Avis)]

On Tue, 8 May 2001, Bernard Lang wrote:

>>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.

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

Not a source of 'wealth' in any real sense.  People who confuse GDP or
GNP with wealth are confusing the real thing with the statistical
instruments used to measure it.  Unfortunately GDP is only an
approximation to the true material wealth of a country.  It's usually a
good approximation, but as your car-accident example shows, maximizing
GDP or GNP is not an end in itself.

>  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).

Ah yes, I see you agree.

Anyway, this is really a side issue.  I don't think many people will
claim that because (in some cases) swpats increase GDP through
transferring money from one person to another, they increase national
wealth.  Most people understand that this kind of argument is flawed.

-- 
Ed Avis
epa98@doc.ic.ac.uk