this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2024
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Technology
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I feel like this kinda tech should be more widely available if it's for health reasons, to avoid a monopoly on something vital.
Patents literally are a government granted time-limited monopoly. There are a number of reasons why the government grants these monopolies. Perhaps, the ethics of medical patents should be debated, but if we collectively don't grant patents on vital medical technologies, then I think it is unlikely that corporations are going to invest billions developing and testing life saving drugs. (Another debate: are private corporations the best stewards of developing this technology.)
For now, this is the system we've engineered ourselves into a corner with.
I don't really care about some blood oxygen monitor in a smart watch, but inadvertently destroying the pharmaceutical industry over it probably ought to be carefully considered.
Sorry but that’s such a ridiculous assertion. Companies wont innovate if they can’t hold a monopoly on what they make? Thank God one company has a patent and monopoly on touchscreens or companies would never have made smartphones, and the patent on routers saved us from never having the internet… patents are bullshit and should be banned. Monopolies don’t help innovation they stifle it and billion dollar conglomerates dont need more power to continue seeking profit.
Not to mention the fact that they get the money for developing these drugs from the government lmaooo