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Comment by CamperBob2 | Hacker News Reader

The problem with getting rid of patents also has a biological analogue, unfortunately. Particularly beyond a certain age/career rank, patents are used to "signal" one's merit as an engineer. Obviously it's a false signal from a technical perspective but the social aspect is ironclad. There is a pecking order among old-school engineers, and the first number they pull out in any discussion from a polite professional argument to a Usenet dick-waving contest is the number of patents they hold.

Put bluntly, a lot of old farts are going to have to retire and/or die before we come to our senses and stop granting monopolies on ideas.

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Nowhere in the article (unless my reading skills have gone to pot...which is possible) did Rackspace propose destroying the patent system. They are talking about invalidating a particular patent, thereby de-clawing a particular troll.

It's also interesting that, in my nearly 20 years in the industry, I've never met anybody who actively bragged about their patents. I think there might be a little agism coming through in your comment...

I have, but they're also 25. They're slightly sheepish about the number of patents that they hold, but only to a degree. It is still a point of pride as well.

I've also worked for a large telecom that had each and every patent granted at each office up on the wall so that you could see it as you walked in.

It's a complicated issue, but glad that a company like Rackspace is taking a strong stance against patent trolls. It's not necessarily the patents that are the problem, but the companies leeching off of and taking advantage of the system.

There's nothing wrong with invention and although it would be a great world if we were all altruistic and willing to share these ideas with one another for free, it's not that wrong to believe that inventors should be rewarded for their efforts. Unfortunately the current system is broken, and needs fixing.

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