No it isn't. It is legally dubious, but anyone who conflates IP legalism and ethics has no idea about either. The current IP scheme is anti-competitive; an arbitrary barrier to entry to any would-be competitors utterly divorced from innovation, invention or merit.
But, if one was going to go that way, then this is exactly the right thing for google to do. They're paying $12.5 billion to buy the stable of frivolous documents required to do homage to the current IP regime. Once they enter into a properly asinine mutual-licensing, then the violation of the sacred IP gods will be forgiven.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-16 12:59 pm (UTC)But, if one was going to go that way, then this is exactly the right thing for google to do. They're paying $12.5 billion to buy the stable of frivolous documents required to do homage to the current IP regime. Once they enter into a properly asinine mutual-licensing, then the violation of the sacred IP gods will be forgiven.