In perhaps one of the greatest examples of a need for a sarcasm font, Mark Cuban rants in his blog about the ridiculousness of the U.S. Patent system. To put it mildly, Cuban is fed up. He rails a system that he calls “anti-competitive” and “corrupt” while only serving to “impede creativity and innovation.”
“When I read that Yahoo was suing Facebook my immediate reaction was disdain. As I thought more about it, I came to realize that this case could be the water shed moment that causes enough people to recognize just how horrific our patent law is.”
Cuban goes on to make some interesting points about the case and patent laws in general; and what he believes needs to happen in order for things to change.
Key points from Cuban’s tirade (italics will be used as the sarcasm font from here on out):
- Although patents are necessary in certain fields, the tech industry is not one of them.
- Lobbyists are to blame. As long as they continue to push “the agenda of big patent portfolio holders” no progress will ever be made.
- Instead, he believes what needs to happen for patent laws to change is a “consumer uprising.”
- Facebook losing the case and being unable to continue business may be the only way people will wake up to what is happening.
- If Yahoo got Google to pay for Pay Per Clicks patent, then surely that same patent should be valid against Facebook.
- My.Yahoo.com was way ahead of its time. Facebook owes it’s personalized pages concept to Yahoo.
- “This is what patents are for, right ? To protect companies with original IP from smarter, faster, aggressive companies who catch the imagination of consumers and advertisers. What else could patents be for?”
Well said, Cubes; well said.