[governance] Open Patents? Hundreds of thousands of innovations - most in the form of patents

[Fouad Bajwa]

Hi Everyone,

This is the first time that Patents have gone open with Open Patents!
Read on below:

Source: Global Innovation Commons http://www.globalinnovationcommons.org/

What would happen if you were given over $2 trillion? That's right, if
someone walked up to you and gave you $2 trillion. That could never
happen, right?

In fact, that is exactly what has just happened.

While the patent system has been around since the 17th century when it
was developed by nobles in Italy and England, it may surprise you that
the system was designed to benefit you. Patents were supposed to be a
public disclosure to advance science and useful knowledge. If someone
shared sufficient information to teach the public about a novel
development or useful technology, they would have a limited time
(about 20 years) to decide who could use that idea.

There's some bad news and some good news. First, the bad news: For the
past 30 years, patents have been abused. Rather than serving the
public's expansion of knowledge, they've been used as business and
legal weapons. Over 50,000,000 patents covering everything you do have
served to keep you from benefiting in many aspects of your life. Many
life-saving treatments have been kept from the market because they
threaten established business interests. The world's ecosystem has
been severely damaged because efficiencies have been kept from
entereing the market.

In the face of all this, however, there is the good news: The thirty
year "cold war" of innovation is over. Today, you now have access to
it all. In the Global Innovation Commons, we have assembled hundreds
of thousands of innovations - most in the form of patents - which are
either expired, no-longer maintained (meaning that the fees to keep
the patents in force have lapsed), disallowed, or unprotected in most,
if not all, relevant markets. This means that, as of right now, you
can take a step into a world full of possibilities, not roadblocks.
You want clean water for China or Sudan - it's in here. You want
carbon-free energy - it's in here. You want food production for Asia
or South America - it's in here.

But here's the catch. We're sharing this under a license. The license
is really simple. If you use this information, you must share what
you're doing with everyone else. If you improve upon it, you must
share your improvements with everyone else. And finally, if you use
any of this information, you must reference the "Global Innovation
Commons." That's it. When you take the next step, turn the
possibilities into realities.


-- 
Regards.
--------------------------
Fouad Bajwa
Advisor & Researcher
ICT4D & Internet Governance
Member Multistakeholder Advisory Group (IGF)
Member Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus (IGC)
My Blog: Internet's Governance
http://internetsgovernance.blogspot.com/
Follow my Tweets:
http://twitter.com/fouadbajwa
MAG Interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATVDW1tDZzA
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