[A2k] IPBlog (Tom Giovanetti): The Big IP Skeptic Lovefest Is Coming

[Seth Johnson]

ROTFLMAO!  Sounds like fun!


Seth



Thiru Balasubramaniam wrote:
>
> --
> [ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
> >
> >
> > http://www.ipblog.org/blog/IPBlog.nsf/dx/preaching-to-the-ip-skeptic-
> > choir
> >
> >
> > The Big IP Skeptic Lovefest Is Coming
> >
> > Wednesday 5th April, 2006
> > Later this month there's going to be a big group hug for all the folks
> > who think that intellectual property protection is a club wielded by
> > evil corporations and evil capitalist countries to destroy innovation
> > and to keep people poor.
> >
> > It's called the A2K conference, and it's being held at prestigious
> > Yale University. It's funded by the usual suspects, and it will also
> > be programmed and attended by the usual suspects.
> >
> > There will almost certainly be commemorative tee shirts, buttons, and
> > bumper stickers.
> >
> > Expect to hear lots of bashing of people who actually create and
> > innovate things. See, it turns out that they are the bad guys. Those
> > of you who go to work every day trying to create new and useful
> > things, like medicines, and entertainment, and technological devices
> > and equipment--you're the bad guys.
> >
> > Expect to see lots of laptops running Linux, Free Software nametag
> > lanyards, "A2K Now" tee shirts and other shallow symbolism of the Free
> > Culture movement.
> >
> > But beyond the symbolism, during the conference, speakers will
> > undoubtedly be using microphones, amplifiers, projectors, computers,
> > network cards and wireless access points that were all developed by
> > innovator companies and are all protected by intellectual property.
> > Some will be wearing designer clothing protected by trademark. In
> > fact, if past is prologue, even their A2K tee shirts will be covered
> > by at least one form of intellectual property.
> >
> > Some of their clothing may actually be made with patented textiles,
> > and if they're wearing shoes by Reebok, Nike, Adidas, Puma or New
> > Balance, the soles of their shoes will contain patented technologies,
> > as well as the trademarks covering the brands.
> >
> > They will fly in airplanes covered by thousands of patents. They will
> > watch a DVD that was created through the copyright system, or they'll
> > listen to copyright-developed music through their patent-developed
> > iPods. They'll use patent-developed cell phones to arrange little side
> > discussions about how much they hate intellectual property.
> >
> > They will arrive in automobiles, probably a lot of Toyota Priuses
> > (sp?), covered by scores and scores of patents. Their cab fare will be
> > computed by a meter developed through intellectual property.They'll be
> > wearing contact lenses covered by patents, though some of them may
> > well have had Lasik surgery, which is performed by laser equipment
> > that was developed and protected by patent. Equipment certified by the
> > very same FDA that they will accuse of being in league with
> > pharmaceutical companies to invent the counterfeit pharmaceuticals
> > crisis.
> >
> > Their conference agendas and notes will be printed on printers
> > developed and protected by patents, whether printed in-house on laser
> > printers, or printed on a 4-color or web press.
> >
> > During breaks, they will relieve themselves in plumbing fixtures
> > covered by trademarks and patents. They will use soaps to wash their
> > hands and faces (hopefully) that are covered by trademarks, and in
> > some cases that contain patented technologies.They will refresh
> > themselves with beverages covered by trademarks, trade secrets, and
> > patents.
> >
> > Some lucky attendees may be kept alive during the conference by
> > pacemakers, which were developed and protected by patent.  Some even
> > luckier attendees cursed by epilepsy may be able to get through the
> > entire conference with the aid of technological implants or
> > pharmaceutical products, of course developed through the
> > property-rights model of innovation.
> >
> > No doubt some during the conference will be having their cholesterol
> > reduced, their aches relieved, their diseases cured (or at least kept
> > at bay), and even their erections enhanced, all by patented
> > pharmaceuticals.
> >
> >     In fact, I know some of the panelists, and I strongly suspect that
> > the only things keeping them clothed and in their right minds are
> > pharmaceuticals.
> >
> >
> > If it gets really boring at any point, some will pull out books to
> > read which are protected by copyright and printed by patented
> > printers. Or they'll point their Firefox browsers at some interesting
> > news site or journalistic outlet, where the content produced is
> > covered by copyright.
> >
> > After the conference, they will go out and drink adult beverages
> > covered by trademarks. They'll sit on barstools protected by trademark
> > and sometimes patents, and the ice in their drinks will come from an
> > icemaker that was developed through the property-rights system of
> > innovation, and is protected by one or more patents. The fountain
> > machine that dispenses their drinks is patented. The little napkins
> > they'll use to absorb condensation will have little trademarks on them
> > somewhere. The little plastic swords that pierces their olives will
> > probably have microscopic TMs on them somewhere.
> >
> > What would REALLY be interesting would be an A2K conference which
> > banned any and all aid from products developed through property
> > rights. I'd love to see that. But I couldn't, because I couldn't see
> > without my contact lenses, and I couldn't listen via telephone or
> > watch a webconference. Both would be impossible if all products of
> > intellectual property were banned.
> >
> > Hypocrites. Bloody hypocrites. Using intellectual property thousands
> > of times a day, using IP to bash IP.
> >
> >
> --
>
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