From: Adam Flinton 

Geo wrote:
> "Adam Flinton"  wrote in message
> news:42c7abf8{at}w3.nls.net...
>
>
>>The period between 1873 and 1915 was certainly an innovative one. For
>>instance, it included the major patent-producing years of America's
>>greatest inventor, Thomas Edison (1847-1931). Edison patented more than
>>1000 inventions, including the incandescent bulb, electricity generation
>>and distribution grids, movie cameras and the phonograph."
>
>
> Lets go the other way, picture what the world would be like if Thomas Edison
> was allowed to have patents that lasted life plus 70 years like todays
> copyrights last.
>

DC mains electric...woohooo....

> The light bulb, electric generation, distribution grids, movie cameras and
> the phonograph all would have been controlled by the same company up until
> 2001?
>

Gosh wouldn't that have been the picture of "healthy competiton
benefiting the consumer"....


> yeah, what a wonderful world that would have created... and with the funds
> from those inventions they would have bought the patents to most of the new
> stuff like TV, CD's, DVD's, radio, satellite broadcasting, etc..
>

Or they'd have said "if you want to use these patented inventions in
order to create your inventions...then we'll just take 40%..."


Adam

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