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Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, June 12 2012 @ 11:21 AM EDT |
No [redacted] way, Mr. Risch.
Mathematics has several features:
(1) nobody ever keeps it secret any more (last case was 18th century I think?)
so there is no benefit from patents. The only benefit from patents is
disclosure.
(2) it depends crucially on people being able to build on previous
mathematicians' work, and patents prevent that;
(3) money doesn't make mathematicians do better mathematics. At best it gives
more people the free time to do math, but patents don't help with that (only
salaries help with that).
You've been captured mentally by the economist/lawyer mentality; try talking to
your ACADEMIC friends to see what the actual motivations of academic researchers
in mathematics are.[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
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Authored by: jesse on Tuesday, June 12 2012 @ 02:11 PM EDT |
It is the patents that prevent the development.
Wait 20 years, and maybe the supply in the US will finally increase.
Of course, by then, all software development will be done where patents on math
don't exist.
It is one (not only though) of the reasons business use of RSA encryption didn't
really start until Europe and Austraila/New Zealand analyzed, developed, and
released both the software AND the analysis to the public via copyright.[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
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Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, June 13 2012 @ 12:10 AM EDT |
Mathematician here.
We got rid of all this secrecy and patent rubbish back
in the 15th century. Indeed that is why the exclusion for mathematics is written
into the constitution. Because by that time it was very well established that
mathematicians didn't want a bar of it. And we still don't. Attempt to make
mathematics patentable and you'll have the entire mathematical community up in
arms. Patents would in fact make mathematical research nigh on impossible.
There are sufficient academic jobs available to give all the really clever
mathematicians in the world time to think and do research without being bothered
by annoying distractions like lawyers. That is all we want or need. The limiting
factor on mathematical research is the supply of really clever people. These
guys are for the most part not motivated by
money . Throwing money at less clever people wouldn't appreciably increase
the amount of good mathematics being produced. Mathematicians don't want or need
patents. [ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
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