Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

community_studios - [Community_studios] article comment 063003

community_studios AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Discussion of all things related to Public Domain

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: tom poe <tompoe AT amihost.com>
  • To: kieren.mccarthy AT btinternet.com
  • Cc: Community Studios <community_studios AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Community_studios] article comment 063003
  • Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 07:21:38 -0000

Hi, Kieren McCarthy:
Your article, "Open Source Prepares to Kiss EU Patent Ass Goodby"
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/31472.html
"Patents exist for a very good reason however. The prime benefactors of
patents are pharmaceutical companies. It costs billions to develop and
test new medicines until a commercially feasible one is found. Without a
patent on this, competitors would be able to copy the drug and benefit
from the other company's research and development. It doesn't take a
genius to work out that without this protection, there would be no new
drugs."

Suppose, for sake of discussion, that patents do not exist in the form
they are, today. A government does the research [they can at a fraction
of the cost the industry insists it does], and contracts with
manufacturing firms to produce the product. Seems reasonable.

In fact, however, the pharmaceutical industry [juggernaut] continues to
perpetuate the myth about cost of R&D. Result? Governments pay to have
research done, and company manufactures product, and realizes increased
profits at expense of taxpayers.

I would rethink my position on patents, based on your statements above.
Thanks,
Tom Poe
Open Studios
Reno, NV
http://www.studioforrecording.org/





  • [Community_studios] article comment 063003, tom poe, 06/30/2003

Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page