> I think that some clever and unique ideas should not be patentable (e.g.
> arithmetic coding, compilation of the C programming language, the idea of a
> purely functional programming language, the idea of a computer input device,
> mathematical theorems etc. etc. etc.). These things are great ideas, but by no
> means are they devices or specific methods. Not all ideas require patents.
IMHO, the real problem is that in the 'virtual world' (software,
mathmatics, etc) the development costs of such things is not great. For
instance, I 'invented' an arithmetic coder while in high school. At the
time I was completely unaware of IBM's patents or anything. Does IBM
deserve a patent that a high-schooler can reinvent?
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