(no subject)

[theweaselking]

"This Essay Breaks The Law" - by Michael Crichton

On patents, and the practice of patenting facts - making it illegal, in fact, for him to tell you at the start of his article that "elevated homocysteine is linked to B-12 deficiency, so doctors should test homocysteine levels to see whether the patient needs vitamins."

Comments

[zenten.livejournal.com]

I'm confused. I thought patents were a matter of public record. I just can't produce what the patent describes without permission of the patent holder, or until 20 years when the patent expires.

[jerril]

That's the problem. When the patent describes a fact, relaying the fact is arguably "producing" it.

[zenten.livejournal.com]

So the existance of the patent is a violation of the patent?

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

No, because it is done with permission of the patent holder.

[pope-guilty.livejournal.com]

Chricton's also selling a novel predicated on the premise that global warming is a hoax, an anti-business plot concocted by EVIL ENVIRONMENTALISTS OH NOES in order to destroy industry and thereby society.

So I'd take what he says with a grain of salt and three drops of snake oil.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

He's got a good point about patents in general on biological data being absurd.

His novel had nothing on Tom Clancy's EEEEEEEVIL ENVIRONMENTALISTS, though. They were out to destroy the world, but really had no clue how to deal with the world outside civilisation.