this post was submitted on 05 Oct 2024
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[–] grandma@sh.itjust.works 101 points 1 month ago (26 children)

Patents shouldn't be valid for more than 5 years imo. If you can't make a large enough profit from your idea in 5 years maybe it wasn't that good or original.

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 106 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (10 children)

The original idea with patents is to help protect small inventors from being run over by bigger corporations.
But the result is more often the opposite, where small inventors that have a genuinely profitable novel product, is quickly forced to bankruptcy by frivolous patent suits, even when the new product is patented, and when bankrupt bought for peanuts by the bigger corp.

The other main basis for patents is that the technology should not be lost, in case of the inventors death.
But the way tech works today, that is no-longer relevant.

5 year patent would absolutely be better than what we have IMO.

[–] tibi@lemmy.world 12 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Also the patent office needs to employ actual specialists and reject the bullshit patents, like rounded rectangles.

[–] Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 month ago

Or things Nintendo does

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Exactly, and Christ the Apple vs Samsung on Samsung copying the iPad "design" was ridiculous!
I don't know if that was what you meant, but that's what I immediately thought of.

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