Invention and innovation take money. It also takes companies willing to use the copyrights and patents they hold instead of keeping them in a vault in order to protect the status quo. Ethical companies that would like to innovate are forced to maintain a supply of capital in order to protect themselves from hostile takeovers. Others whose research comes up with a new invention find they can’t patent it because the patent is already held by a company that won’t use it. When a man invented a derringer in the 1980’s or 90’s that looked like a pager (it carried 2 9mm bullets) the news briefly mentioned a law that made it a crime to patent certain things AND to make the discussion of certain patent ideas illegal. I can’t find info on that, but I did find where Mr. Reid of Nevada blocked patent reform legislation last year. Ostensibly because it had other provisions he did not want to see passed, but let’s face it, he could have rewritten the bill and sent it back to Congress. Maybe there is a 100mpg fuel system sitting in some oil company’s safe; maybe the cure for cancer is languishing in a pharmaceutical company’s vault; maybe the ultimate solar/wind power generating system is in a file in a box in a warehouse in a third world country. Until our tribal minded, greedy, self serving legislators are replaced with men and women willing to set aside the impossible issues and work together on the necessary ones, our nation will continue to stagnate and fall behind nations who used to be in our shadow. As far as the Keystone Pipeline goes, it will employ around 10k ppl for several years counting any US companies who might get to produce pipes and equipment. After that, it is projected by independent organizations that fewer than 50 ppl will get full time employment and that the goo containing the oil will go overseas instead of being sold in North America. No long term benefits, and many long term concerns from shoddy construction of sabotage resulting in leaks and damage to lands and communities. It would be better to move water from flood prone areas to drought prone areas.Respectfully,C.
Invention and innovation take money. It also takes companies willing to use the copyrights and patents they hold instead of keeping them in a vault in order to protect the status quo. Ethical companies that would like to innovate are forced to maintain a supply of capital in order to protect themselves from hostile takeovers. Others whose research comes up with a new invention find they can’t patent it because the patent is already held by a company that won’t use it. When a man invented a derringer in the 1980’s or 90’s that looked like a pager (it carried 2 9mm bullets) the news briefly mentioned a law that made it a crime to patent certain things AND to make the discussion of certain patent ideas illegal. I can’t find info on that, but I did find where Mr. Reid of Nevada blocked patent reform legislation last year. Ostensibly because it had other provisions he did not want to see passed, but let’s face it, he could have rewritten the bill and sent it back to Congress. Maybe there is a 100mpg fuel system sitting in some oil company’s safe; maybe the cure for cancer is languishing in a pharmaceutical company’s vault; maybe the ultimate solar/wind power generating system is in a file in a box in a warehouse in a third world country. Until our tribal minded, greedy, self serving legislators are replaced with men and women willing to set aside the impossible issues and work together on the necessary ones, our nation will continue to stagnate and fall behind nations who used to be in our shadow. As far as the Keystone Pipeline goes, it will employ around 10k ppl for several years counting any US companies who might get to produce pipes and equipment. After that, it is projected by independent organizations that fewer than 50 ppl will get full time employment and that the goo containing the oil will go overseas instead of being sold in North America. No long term benefits, and many long term concerns from shoddy construction of sabotage resulting in leaks and damage to lands and communities. It would be better to move water from flood prone areas to drought prone areas.Respectfully,C.