[dashN9ne]

Thanks for thoughtful exploration. Here are some of my open questions.

Should patents be abolished and copyright extended to cover non-transcribed acts of copying (e.g. pharma, creating the same program with different source)? Is copyright or short term patents (7 years? 15 years?) a viable alternative?

What are some downsides of not having patents in their current form? In a shorter term form?

How do we move beyond patents as a society and business community?

[DaniFong]

I think that copyright, with a shorter term, is a very reasonable model for pharmaceuticals given the current FDA process, but it is not complete. The FDA still frowns upon off label use -- but the challenges in medical regulation are for another, longer discussion.

I do think that patents allow for a brief period, post product release, of allowing one to recoup the costs of initial investment. But if I were to rearrange the terms, I would suggest that the patent expire 3 years post-initial commercial release, or 15 years after filing -- whichever is shorter.

Generally, I think that we should force more creativity out of our thieves. I think the patent system should revert to something much closer to copyright.

In the meantime, groups of companies could support defensive patent pools, or the patent pledge.