[121510] in North American Network Operators' Group
Re: Patents, IETF and Network Operators
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Steven Bellovin)
Thu Jan 21 13:52:56 2010
From: Steven Bellovin <smb@cs.columbia.edu>
In-Reply-To: <5A6D953473350C4B9995546AFE9939EE081F733A@RWC-EX1.corp.seven.com>
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:52:16 -0500
To: George Bonser <gbonser@seven.com>
Cc: nanog@nanog.org
Errors-To: nanog-bounces+nanog.discuss=bloom-picayune.mit.edu@nanog.org
On Jan 21, 2010, at 1:29 PM, George Bonser wrote:
>=20
>=20
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Shane Ronan=20
>> Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 9:33 AM
>>=20
>> The real question is why Patent something?
>>=20
>> The reality is even if you patent any idea/feature, other vendors =
will
>> come out with a similar (although not patent infringing) version of
>> the same idea/feature. While you might get a short term jump on other
>> vendors, if the idea is really good, everyone else will catch up
>> quickly. Further, customers REALLY like inter-op, I know for one I
>> don't use protocols from vendors that aren't "standard"
>=20
> The purpose of a patent is not to keep others from using your idea but
> exactly the opposite. It gives you exclusive use of an idea but also
> makes for a mechanism where your idea is then documented and can be =
used
> and improved upon by others once your exclusive use expires.
Yes and no -- don't confuse the purpose of a patent with the rights it =
gives you. A patent is not the right to do something; it's the right to =
keep others from doing it.
The purpose, though, is as you say: in exchange for publication of your =
ideas, society gives you a limited-term monopoly. =20
I should add: patents can help society not just because it sees your =
ideas, but because of the monopoly: people are motivated to invent =
around your patent.
--Steve Bellovin, http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~smb
