X-Message-Number: 29726
From: "John de Rivaz" <>
References: <>
Subject: Re: Doctors' Mob Riot - No UAGA Back Then
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 11:17:43 +0100


I wonder really whether complicated devices would still get invented without 
corporations or patents.


Take a look at computers -- were the people that put integrated circuits 
together to make "home computers" really motivated because of patent protection?
Did they even bother to take out patents?


Were there patents around when people discovered fire, the wheel, writing, 
arithmetic? Was there a patent issue as Arabic numerals (with a zero) replaced 
Roman numerals (no zero)? Patents started in 1474. It ought to be possible to 
observe some effect in the growth of technology over a broad sweep of the 
centuries at around this time that could not be attributed to anything else.


Ironically the protection offered to the directors and managers of limited 
companies and corporations also mentioned in Flavonoid's original article is 
rapidly being eroded  by current legislation around the world. Whether 
shareholders will ever be financially at risk beyond their original investment 
is unlikely. Although lawyers would love this idea as it would make an enormous 
increase in the amount of money they could argue over, if it was re-introduced 
the world's financial markets would collapse as private investors removed their 
funds.



-- 
Sincerely, John de Rivaz:  http://John.deRivaz.com for websites including
Cryonics Europe, Longevity Report, The Venturists, Porthtowan, Alec Harley
Reeves - inventor, Arthur Bowker - potter, de Rivaz genealogy,  Nomad .. and
more

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