This article is a response both to an article I found on TechDirt and the comments from an IP thumper that commented on the article. What this article talks about is some genetic researchers were blocked from doing research into genetically modified crops because of IP patents that a greedy company that makes genetically modified crop seeds has. I suspect they are blocking it to hide problems with the product that they are trying to peddle.
The original article can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/business/20crop.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1235750706-X9QG7wWBH6TCugnMjM3kvA
Here is my response (also posted in the comments on TechDirt):
Now hold on just one minute Bubba. While I understand the talent aspect of your complaint I think your talk about those with the available money and resources is complete horse sh*t. First of all that is a VERY elitist attitude. Plenty of people with amazing ideas and inventions don’t have the money and resources to market their ideas so instead of letting them go to waste they freely spread their knowledge to others in hope that it improves things for all of humanity.
What you are talking about is hording knowledge because you have the money and resources to. Not only is that just wrong, but it is irresponsible. I have a question for you, who are you paying for the invention of spoken words? What about the discovery of fire or the wheel? Electricity? Your idea suggests that everyone that comes up with a good idea or invention should protect it and hide it from everyone else until they can milk as much money as possible out of them.
ALL of humanity is built of the discoveries, knowledge, and inventions of humans that have come before us. And just because you discovered or created it first doesn’t mean that someone else would not have if you didn’t exist. It would have just happened at a different time. For you to stifle the spread of knowledge and discovery just to line your pockets is despicable and disgusting. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Now I am not saying don’t make money from what you do. Far from it. Being the first to discover/create something gives you a head start and a chance to use it better and quicker than others and offer services and products based off of your early knowledge and your mounting experience from it. If you instead don’t want to produce anything directly from it then hold seminars and teaching sessions to explain what and how you found/created it. You can charge for your time and effort to teach them. That is fine.
But for you to simply block the propagation of knowledge to make sure you get a slice of money is just greedy.
Peace
-Pjerky
Any thoughts, comments, or ideas are welcome here.
Tags: crops, genetic research, IP, legalese, Patents, research, TechDirt
