Re: [Patents] Re: Jpeg Patent

[Gregory Aharonian <srctran@world.std.com>]

>Greg is wrong to laugh at claims that patents are destroying R&D.
>They are.

Where's the statistical proof that R&D rates are being affected? Nowhere.

>Who in their right mind is going to develop any standards at this rate
>if 10 years down the road some company is going to start demanding
>fee's and backdates payments on an internationally agreed 'free'
>standard?

The effect of patents on standards is a problem that has been around
for decades in many industries, not just software.  The adults in
such industries have learned to deal with such possibilities, one of
the many problems affecting standards development.  And much like
the software industry, these other industries have had no significant
impact on their R&D activities (especially compared to other things
that affect R&D, like tax policies and stock market conditions).

So enjoy wallowing in the false hysteria of the evils of software patents,
but how about putting up some real econometrically adjusted data (and
not some hypothetical academic model) showing the complete utter
devastation of software patents.  And when you get some data, give it
to the child that wrote that IT World story.

Greg Aharonian