On Patents - Like Immigration - It Depends on Who Is Doing the ‘Reforming’
Let’s Make Sure
We’re Headed in the Right Direction Believe me when I say: I believe with moral certitude and every fiber in my being that the federal government - in ways more numerous than the stars in the sky - is way overdue for massive and dramatic reform. But I am a staunch conservative - and less government proponent. You know who else says DC is in dire need of “reform?” The biggest of big government Leftists. You can probably ascertain my definition of “reform” - is more than a mite different than theirs. To wit: The Feds spend $4 trillion per annum. My reform - would get that closer to $1 trillion. Theirs - would get that closer to $40 trillion. Dramatically different outcomes - but we’ve both “reformed” DC. All of this Leftist “reform” talk - brings to mind Inigo Montoya from the cinematic classic “The Princess Bride”: “You keep using that word - I do not think it means what you think it means.” So too is it with immigration. Everyone and their mothers say the system needs “reform.” We live next door to a nation - Mexico - run by drug cartels, that just elected an anti-American Communist president. In the run up to said election - 133 Mexican politicians were murdered. Despite massive oil reserves, their economy has for…ever stunk on ice. Leading tens of millions of their citizens…to illegally invade and take up residence in our nation. The Mexican economy gets more money in remittances from the US - than it does from its oil. In fact, remittances from the US - is the biggest part of Mexico’s economy. We who believe in borders and countries - and who don’t like watching hundreds of billions of our welfare dollars per year used to prop up narco-state Mexico - want to actually, you know, defend our borders and our country. Our reform - would move us in that more sane, sensible direction. For instance, deporting criminal aliens like members of the murderous El Salvadorian gang MS-13…is sane and sensible. Stopping the ongoing mass illegal invasions…is sane and sensible. Building a wall as a part of that effort…is sane and sensible. Their “reform” - is to abolish Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). You know, the people charged with deporting criminal aliens like members of the murderous El Salvadorian gang MS-13 and stopping the mass illegal invasions. Why on Earth would they want this insane “reform?” Because they do not believe in borders and countries. At all. Which is insane. You know in what else these “reformers” do not believe? At all? Intellectual Property (IP). The right of people to keep the property created by their minds. Should We Abolish Intellectual Property? To Save the Future, Abolish Copyright Economists: Abolish Copyright & Patents to Save the Economy The Case for Abolishing Patents (Yes, All of Them) Which is insane. These IP “reform” people are…a little confused. According to them, you can’t steal the CD containing the computer software - but you can steal the idea that created the computer software imprinted on the CD. You can have a deed to a house - but you can’t have a deed for the idea that made you the money to buy the house. Of course, if you allow the theft of the ideas behind these things - you will very quickly stop having these things. Because why on Earth would anyone think of anything useful - if it can be immediately thereafter stolen? Which doesn’t “Save the Economy” or “Save the Future” - so much as it destroys them. Again, these IP “reform” people are…a little confused. Unfortunately, these anti-IP “reformers” - have held sway for the last many years. The thankfully-recently-ended Barack Obama Administration - loathed IP. And spent its eight years actively attacking it in all sorts of - ironically and destructively - innovative ways. And President Obama conspired with Congress to pass into law - the misnamed and incredibly awful “America Invents Act.” Which did a lot of additional violence to the concept of IP and its protection. Including fundamentally transforming the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) - from an office charged with issuing patents...to one charged with destroying them. Did all of these anti-IP “reforms” “Save the Economy?” Did they “Save the Future?” Not so much - as it crippled them. U.S. Drops to 13th in Worldwide Patent Protection: “In the Chamber of Commerce's latest study, the U.S. patent system has dropped to 13th in the world, well behind such diverse countries as Singapore, France, Ireland, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Italy…. “A review of the last several rankings by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's studies shows that, although the U.S. had the unquestioned lead in patent protection in 2012-2014, its advantage has dropped each year thereafter, and continues its precipitous decline….” To give you but one example of why this is more than a mite problematic…: China Is Beating the United States in the Race for 5G 5G - is the wireless Internet of Things. Where your car talks to the road, which talks to the stoplight. Where everything inanimate - talks to everything inanimate. And China is beating us. China. That bastion of freedom and openness. Because we’ve been beating up the IP people responsible for us beating China. We need to stop doing that. And restore the legal conditions - with the proper protections and respect for IP - that made us the world’s leaders. In patent protection - and thus everything else in a global Information Economy. That’s the kind of “reform” - we very much need. This first appeared in Red State.