🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <PCG.91Aug18210217@aberda.aber.ac.uk> pcg@aber.ac.uk (Piercarlo Grandi) writes:

   My favourite solution would be, instead of granting the inventor
   esclusive *manufacturing* rights, granting him exclusive *royalty*
   rights for say 10-20 years on the actual selling price of products
   incorporating that invention, i.e. a kind of sales "tax", going to the
   inventor.

This is not a bad idea but not everyone will be happy with it.  The
most glaring flaw is this:  Suppose Company X develops a new widget
which it receives a patent for under your proposed system.  Now
suppose that Company Y sells a product that doesn't compete with the
new widget but would be more valuable if the widget was integrated
into it.  Company Y realizes this and bundles the widget into its
product as a "free" enhancement.  How does Company X collect its
royalty?  Obviously, Company Y's product is more valuable but who
decides by how much?  Company Y will say $0 whereas Company X will say
the full price of the product.  I would give Company Y the benefit of
the doubt but you can bet your bottom dollar that all the biggest
patent holders would want Company X to decide.  If we let the
government decide then we end up with the same litigious quagmire we
have now.

I would rather see no patent system whatsoever and a much less liberal
Copyright system to boot but I would certainly take your proposal over
the current system.