Wait, wait... aren't patents supposed to encourage R&D? The monopoly rent from a patent is supposedly the only way to encourage firms to do R&D, to innovate rather than copy.
And aren't patents getting stronger based on case law? The i4i vs Microsoft thing re-affirmed quite a strict standard as to patent validity. I know it's nothing compared to how copyrights are being made stronger and stronger, but still, patents are being made stronger.
Shouldn't we be seeing more innovation on that basis? There's a general trend towards strong "intellectual property" protections, and Big Pharma has been the industry pushing that kind of thing pretty hard.
So where's the real problem? Big Pharma R&D not working, FDA getting irrational about approvals, Big Pharma coasting for the past N years? Biology research has hit the limits of what it can do?
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Wait, wait... aren't patents supposed to encourage R&D? The monopoly rent from a patent is supposedly the only way to encourage firms to do R&D, to innovate rather than copy.
And aren't patents getting stronger based on case law? The i4i vs Microsoft thing re-affirmed quite a strict standard as to patent validity. I know it's nothing compared to how copyrights are being made stronger and stronger, but still, patents are being made stronger.
Shouldn't we be seeing more innovation on that basis? There's a general trend towards strong "intellectual property" protections, and Big Pharma has been the industry pushing that kind of thing pretty hard.
So where's the real problem? Big Pharma R&D not working, FDA getting irrational about approvals, Big Pharma coasting for the past N years? Biology research has hit the limits of what it can do?