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Re:Creator of Linux virtual assistant blames 'patent troll' ... by resonious on Monday February 13, 2023 @07:04PM (#34782928)
I have a family member who used to work in pharmaceutical R&D. I personally know nothing about the industry so maybe it's nonsense, but she once told me that nobody would make anything in that industry if it wasn't for patents. R&D costs are astronomical. Once you release a drug, it needs high margins in order to make back the R&D costs. But the problem is: once you release your drug it immediately gets reverse engineered and other facilities can mass-produce it and undercut you hard.

Anyway it's likely I misunderstood something there since again I know nothing. But after hearing that, I considered that while software patents are obviously bad, maybe they make some sense in other industries.

Re:Creator of Linux virtual assistant blames 'patent troll' ... by CameronNemo on Monday February 13, 2023 @07:06PM (#34782942)
Pharmaceutical research can be funded with public money (and often already are to some degree). Bounty programs, grants, et cetera. A lot easier to manage those than the obtuse patent bureaucracy.
Re:Creator of Linux virtual assistant blames 'patent troll' ... by nceqs3 on Monday February 13, 2023 @07:39PM (#34783422)
Why do people comment so confidently on industries they don't understand?
Re:Creator of Linux virtual assistant blames 'patent troll' ... by CameronNemo on Monday February 13, 2023 @07:53PM (#34783578)
Why do people jump to defend monopolistic, price-gouging pharmaceutical companies?
Re:Creator of Linux virtual assistant blames 'patent troll' ... by nickff on Monday February 13, 2023 @08:46PM (#34784017)
The parent didn’t defend anyone.
Re:Creator of Linux virtual assistant blames 'patent troll' ... by CameronNemo on Monday February 13, 2023 @09:26PM (#34784397)
Yeah because the parent comment had nothing material to say. They basically just told me to shut up for no reason other than "you have no idea what you are talking about (but I do)".
Re:Creator of Linux virtual assistant blames 'patent troll' ... by aesh2Xa1 on Monday February 13, 2023 @09:22PM (#34784361)
What don't you like about what the commenter said? Here's support for his comment:

https://cepr.net/we-can-develop-new-drugs-without-patent-mon...

> While drug companies do operate to make a profit, the part of the story that Nisen misses is that the profit does not have to be gained through patent monopolies. Suppose that the U.S. and other governments put up research funding, which private corporations like Gilead could bid on based on their expertise and track record. In this case, a condition of the research is that all patents would be in the public domain (the companies were already paid for their work) and all results would be fully public as soon as practical.

The above comes from Dean Baker, who seems to be confident and credentialed.

https://cepr.net/staff-member/dean-baker/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Baker

Re:Creator of Linux virtual assistant blames 'patent troll' ... by b3lvedere on Tuesday February 14, 2023 @06:00AM (#34787759)
So help us understand then why this industry could not exist without patents?
Re:Creator of Linux virtual assistant blames 'patent troll' ... by tinus_hn on Tuesday February 14, 2023 @09:08AM (#34789448)
Because the requirements for anything health related are so absurdly high, the investment required to put something on the market is also absurdly high. You can’t make that investment if the next guy can then just go and sell your product for a quarter.
Re:Creator of Linux virtual assistant blames 'patent troll' ... by b3lvedere on Tuesday February 14, 2023 @09:39AM (#34789933)
This still makes me wonder why a government could or should not invest in it.
Re:Creator of Linux virtual assistant blames 'patent troll' ... by croes on Tuesday February 14, 2023 @08:51AM (#34789197)
Why do people in the industry claim nothing would be invented without patents?

They don't know a world without such patents and they don't know the people and companies who would do research in such a world.

That's a claim like nobody would be a fire fighter if it wasn't a paid job. Guess how reality is really like.

What about all the underpaid people in healthcare? By that mindset those people wouldn't exits.

Re:Creator of Linux virtual assistant blames 'patent troll' ... by svc2Hokum on Tuesday February 14, 2023 @01:21PM (#34793601)
Figurative understanding and truth is mutable. Society put people on the moon when agency is put to it.

Why do people comment about the way society works when clearly agency is monopolized to focus on fiat wealth targets, not real work of value.

Re:Creator of Linux virtual assistant blames 'patent troll' ... by HDThoreaun on Monday February 13, 2023 @09:16PM (#34784298)
Easy enough to just federally fund a bounty based off qalys saved or something similar. The acts of innovating and manufacturing don't need to be linked.
Re:Creator of Linux virtual assistant blames 'patent troll' ... by moremetadata on Tuesday February 14, 2023 @03:32AM (#34786885)
Software decompilers are the software industry's reverse engineering problem, so internet services are the solution, like those running from the cloud/data centres.

Of course patents also create monopolies and because no one wants to go backwards, monopolies never get challenged or challenged with little consequence so you can hold many country's and their population hostage quite legally.

Re:Creator of Linux virtual assistant blames 'patent troll' ... by ikekkdcjkfke on Tuesday February 14, 2023 @05:55AM (#34787730)
Thats and actual physical product produced and sold and bought. Why can't the patent system protect only these people?