Re: homemade inkjet printer head

From: Jonathan Handel (x@att.net)
Date: Sat Jun 08 2002 - 03:40:16 EEST


At 04:20 PM 06/07/2002, Brock Hinzmann wrote:
>Bathsheba Grossman wrote:
>I find the idea that people should be able to block the use of
> >an invention for many years, without any obligation to develop that
> >use or make it available themselves, irksome. If that strikes at the
> >foundatione of what makes America great, then you can paint me red and
> >call me a Bolshevik.
>
>I'm sure some historian will correct me, but my understanding of the
>origins of the U.S. patent system was to force out new technology, just
>the opposite of allowing a patent holder to prevent its use.

Actually, it's not quite the opposite, since, if patent (and copyright)
holders couldn't block others from infringing patents and copyrights, then
people wouldn't invest time and money in inventing things at all. The
Constitution recognizes the inventor's and author's right to possess an
exclusive monopoly for a period of time.

>Also, it seems to me that part of what made America great initially,
>besides all the great inventions that have been made here since, was the
>theft of British technology and setting up production in the lawless New
>World.

Yes, and the theft of British copyrights - i.e., publishing pirate editions
of British novels in the U.S., which was a problem until sometime in the
late 19th or earlier 20th century, I believe

Jonathan Handel, Esq.
PO Box 691781
Los Angeles, CA 90069
tel & cell 323-650-0060
fax 323-654-5360
email X@att.net
http://www.jhandel.com (http://jhandel.home.att.net)

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