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by rayiner
4916 days ago
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I don't think that's an accurate statement of how patents function in these industries. Patents provide a framework for companies to transact in technology while protecting their R&D investment. It enables companies like MIPS and ARM to specialize in producing designs without having to develop finished products, and it allows companies to invest in open standards like LTE or WiMAX without having some Chinese manufacturer just take the end result and produce cheap chips implementing the standard at low cost because they didn't have to undertake any R&D investment. |
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It isn't hard to create an "ARM compatible" processor, but you can certainly not sell it as this without infringing a trademark (and copyright on the instruction set, etc).
With WiMax and similars, again it's not only patents, but also trademarks that are only licensed to companies that pay the fee and usually have to pass a compliance test as well.
Sure, patents are present but they're only part of the story.
Also, patents are not the only way to protect an invention, the two other common methods are secrecy and publishing it (which prevents anyone else from getting a patent on it)