He's my take on your story...

YOU are a brilliant inventor and you just invented the
hammer, nothing else like it exists. You FILE a patent on it and you
would like
to make a living from this new invention. You don't have the financial
resources to market or manufacture large quantities of hammers so you
TRY TO sell your patent or provide a license to a large corporation
who will pay you a royalty for every hammer they sell on your and now
also their behalf. But instead, they tell you that they were already
working on a similar nail pounding product in their own R&D
department, and by the way, the 100 page NDA they asked you to sign
when you walked in the door said in 8 point type that anything you
show them they can use, and they weren't going to give you the time of
day until you signed it. In addition, when you protest, they say that
if you ever do try to produce your hammer, their council will be suing
YOU for infringing THEIR nail pounding device.

So why should consumers support a system in which they are net payers?
Most of the world, and indeed, these great United States didn't
enforce intellectual property law until they felt that it would be to
their own benefit to do so. This was the late 19th century when they
started, a good 100 years like how China currently views intellectual
property.

The 2nd and 3rd worlds should hold out on the intellectual property
issue, until we stop subsidizing our agriculture which is THEIR main
export.

I'm starting to wonder if their should be such a thing as ownership of
an idea, image, sound, etc. Nothing wrong with trying to hide it, but
if its in plain view...

The recent copyright extension to 100 years, custom tailored for
Disney, is just old fashioned corruption in politics. "We'll give you
a cut of the take if you extend the law protecting our monopoly."
There was just too much money at stake and too few voters that
understand the gravity of what was changed.

And the story of someone flying your plane... you were denied nothing
by the person having benefit, so why stop them, because you didn't
gain? Thats one of the reasons file trading works so well, people can
help other people and it costs them NOTHING to do so, the good feeling
is worth every "bit".

There was a musician interviewed by MTV about file trading. They
asked him "Don't you think file trading hurts music?" To which he
answered "No man, it just hurts money." Music will always be there,
promoters may not. Bands can have concerts, remember that? The live
performance? Promoters can go get real jobs that produce something
real instead of just selling hype.


(DBlumel) wrote in message
Actually, its more like; you are a brilliant inventor and you just invented the
hammer, nothing else like it exists. You have a patent on it and you would like
to make a living from this new invention. You don't have the financial
resources to market or manufacture large quantities of hammers so you sell your
patent or provide a license to a large corporation who will pay you a royalty
for every hammer they sell on your and now also their behalf. For a while it
provided a good and steady income for you. You quit your old job as a factory
worker and are working full time to develop other great ideas. However the
money stream has slowed and you haven't got any of your other new ideas ready
and you might have to try to get your old job back. Many early customers have
bought one of your hammers used and liked them so much they have now made
identical molds from the originals and are now giving them away for free to
anyone and everyone they know. Your dream of a secure income is quickly fading.