http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2880317
In short, it's wrong. Patenting your business model is no defense against wholesale copying. Copyright is a defense, but then you have to defend it. Taking it to the courts costs money, and has an uncertain result.
So in this particular case I would guess you've been downvoted because you added nothing of value, and what advice you did give was wrong.
As to how the points work, it's like this.
People can upvote submissions and comments. Every upvote helps float the item higher, and counts for you as a point of karma.
People with enough karma (currently 500 points) can also downvote (with a few exceptions). Downvotes are pretty much the opposite of upvotes, floating the item lower, and taking karma from you.
The exceptions to downvotes are that you can't downvote:
* Something that's really old
* A reply to a comment you made
* A reply to a submission you made
* A submission.
People here are pretty hot on the idea of value. Simple "Me Too!" comments get hammered, and content-free blather will get downvoted or ignored. Mostly things get upvoted if they genuinely add relevant information.
Mostly.