Microsoft, Apple in iPod patent tussle

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It sure does matter, No_Ax - you don't want to pay that price

I think it really does matter to us little guys.

Whenever innovators create something new or even
revoloutionary their rights to this new innovation need to be
protected. Patents provide that kind of protection - most of the
time. Patents can overlap from time to time and, its the Patents
Office job to define the fringes of the overlap by reviewing
historical patents and patent applications.

When protections exist smaller innovators can both control
rights and reap huge cash rewards for the development of their
product and can go on to further develop their existing product
or create new products with new innovations.

Without these protections, innovators can be easily squashed by
large competitors who can copy or steal their "novel idea or
method" flooding the market with a similiar product diluting the
sales of the innovator without any sort of renumeration for his
or her invention --- and, therefore, also diluting the amount of
cash income recieved by the innovator. This in turn reduces if
not eliminates the innovator's ability to bring innovation to the
big market place and/or distribute the product further. So
without much profit, innovation becomes costly and less
innovation occurs.

Without creative innovation constantly sparking new types of
products into fruition in the marketplace a "status quo" evolves
slowing market development. This, of course, drives prices up
and drives quality of product down.

The price you end up paying isn't just higher in retail cost - the
product is robbed of its robustness, since it lacks new features.
Even worse, the product might not even come into existence in
the first place - much less, make it to the market place.

I don't know about you but, I like my transistor radio gathering
dust in the closet.

Posted by: zdnetPatrick   Posted on: 08/14/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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