Re: Patents in market socialism

[Justin Schwartz <jschwart@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I asked Dave Schweickart about this. He said he'd be inclined to treat
patents as commodities rather than assets, i.e., to vest their ownership
with the patent holders, for a limited time of course. He says he's not
doctrinal about this and would support whatever rule would create
incentives for innovation without compromising social ownership of assets.

--jks

On Thu, 1 Feb 1996, Justin Schwartz wrote:

>
> I still haven't thought this through. But if there are patents in MS, why
> is that a problem? Note by the way that a parent in the S-model will
> probably assign income and use rights to the inventor, but not absolute
> ownership. If we are talking about a productive asset, it will belong to
> the state and the patent user will have tp pay an assets tax on its value.
> And will be responsible for maintaining its value, too!
>
> --Justin
>
> On Sun, 28 Jan 1996 HANLY@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
>
> >  One key incentive to encourage innovation under capitalism is extensive
> > patent protection. If entrepreneurs either as individual corporations or
> > worker owned industries are to be encouraged to invest large sums in
> > new products the argument is that they need protection from competition
> > from those wh can snatch the info without the costs. THence patents are
> > granted and this creates
> >  dynamic efficiency if I remember the catechism correctly- as contrasted
> > with static efficiency. Defenders of market socialism claim that the market 
> > as
> > contrasted with command, planned, systems encourages entrepreneurs and thus 
> > new
> > ideas and products. So are we to have patents in the brave new market 
> > socialist
> > world? After all, it is patents that protect the entrepreneur.
> >   Cheers, Ken Hanly
> >
> >
> >
> >      --- from list marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ---
>
>
>
>
>
>      --- from list marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ---





     --- from list marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ---

     ------------------