[Fsfe-uk] Re: [discuss] Open source software News

[Rod Engelsman]

Timothy Baldwin wrote:
> On Saturday 22 May 2004 15:03, Ralph Janke wrote:
>
>
> > Tom, you are absolutely right. GPL is based on the foundation of a
> > working copyright law. Also GPL is far less socialistic
> > than patents.
>
>
> How do claim that patents, a form intelluctual propiery, and therefore a form 
> of private propetry, are socialistic?

More like feudalistic in my opinion.

> > Free markets are working because of competition.
>
>
> How can free markets be working when large numbers of people live in poverty?
>
>
> > In order  
> > to have price stability and innovation, it is very
> > helpful to have as much competition as possible.
>
>
> An (democratically made) agreement  to keep prices stable, should also keep 
> prices stable. Cooperation is more efficent than competeion, how much effort 
> is expanded by OpenOffice.org in being compatiable with Microsoft Office, and 
> how much resources does Microsoft spend in being incompatible, or spreading 
> FUD? Also consider the cost of developing 2 office suites instead of one.
>
>
> > However, even patents have their place where investments are so high,
> > that without a "protected" market the risk of investment is too high, and
> > therefore the absence of a monopoly market for some time would prevent
> > the development of i.e. medication that is beneficial to society.
>
>
> Public funding (distrubuted on a democratic basis) would solve that.

Best solution I can think of to this problem is public funding of 
research, perhaps a bounty program, with private companies actually 
producing the resultant products in competition. All drugs would be 
generic this way.

> > Patents therefore should be used as remedy for problems that free
> > markets are not setup to solve, not as general applicable principle.
> > A general principle of ownership for a few of something that should be
> > able to be owned  (through copyright) by many should be called feudalism.
>
> No, that's class society, of which capitalism and feudalism are examples.
>
>
> > I do not see why it can be claimed that it is socialism
>
> What are you saying is claimed is socialism?
>
>
> > when competition is promoted,
>
> Right
>
>
>
>
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