Wednesday, March 09, 2005

TV debate on EU software patent directive

I participated in the Danish TV-program Deadline, commenting on the culture clash between those that want software patents and those that are opposed. I guess my main point was that if you're operating from a tradtional economic model it makes sense to seek to lock up the inventions you've invested to create. BUT; There's a completely different paradigm brewing, which feeds on some inherent characteristics of the networked, digital society. People are intereacting, building on each other's ideas, contributing, combining - the whole rip and mix thing - and it's my feeling that this will only become more prevalent, and it seems that this is where true new invention takes place. So by changing laws to give the established companies more protection, we weaken a very fertile common space of ideas - which in turn makes us all poorer.
Nothing original there, but it's hardly mainstream politics.
If you're Danish you might want to have a look.

1 comment:

Claus Dahl said...

It's not just new network economics, patent are also questionable based on "old" observations on how technology evolution works: more here