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A comment on Thomas Jefferson on Patents. Parent comment

Re:Thomas Jefferson on Patents by greyfade on Sunday July 17, 2011 @11:54AM (#2773495)
> The reason we have copyright and a patent system is very simple: they're optimizations to make society better at producing more new stuff. The big question is, do they work?

The simple answer is "no." There is no evidence that any patent or copyright monopoly has led to greater production of knowledge and culture. These laws are optimized for control, not for the expansion of knowledge.

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Re:Thomas Jefferson on Patents by praxeologist on Sunday July 17, 2011 @06:07PM (#2774337)
Vote him down but it is true. See: http://blog.mises.org/10217/yet-another-study-finds-patents-...

yet somehow people keep repeating this.. He is also right that copyright came out of the desire to censor people. Patents are a relic from the time when state monopoly power was granted to many more things than just inventions.

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Re:Thomas Jefferson on Patents by arecibodrake on Sunday July 17, 2011 @07:20PM (#2774494)
I am surprised that neither of you have befallen downvotes as I had when I explained similar things.
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Re:Thomas Jefferson on Patents by praxeologist on Sunday July 17, 2011 @07:43PM (#2774525)
I'm a lot more negative now than before I posted. Sorry for pointing out the fact that no proof exists that patents encourage innovation. Keep believing fairy tales kids.
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