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0 pointsmoldbug14y ago0 comments

As a famous American statesman once put it: "Justice Marshall has made his decision - now let him enforce it."

It's commonly supposed that the Supreme Court could void these illegal patents - could dissolve this entire illegal industry - with a swish of their shiny polyester robes. Actually they already tried that, in Flook. Jedi mind tricks, which in the end is all the Court really has, worked about as well on Andrew Jackson.

I think this explains the disappointing result of Bilski. If you are supposed to have a magic power which in reality doesn't exist, make every excuse to avoid using it. You may still be suspected of impotence, but at least the suspicion is not confirmed.

Unfortunately there isn't really a solution to the patent problem that's compatible with the rule of law, mostly because the rule of law was so long ago abandoned for the rule of lawyers. Perhaps Andrew Jackson could round them all up and march them to Oklahoma - or at least, Marshall, Texas.

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3 comments · 2 top-level

btilly14y ago· 1 in thread

Please choose less offensive examples.

A large fraction of the native population that was rounded up and marched in that incident died. Accurate records were not kept, but according to estimates about a quarter of those evicted died as a direct result. Including some of my relatives.

moldbugOP14y ago

Almost all my relatives are dead. Including all who remember the Jackson administration.

Some of them died justly, others not. I'm not an Albanian and have no interest in investing emotional energy in multi-generational blood feuds. Eg, some of my relatives were killed by the Germans, who make a really fine motorcycle.

Also, life was pretty cheap before the 20th century. It's easy to appall kids these days with the death rate among chained slaves crossing the Atlantic. In fact the death rate among Europeans voluntarily crossing the Atlantic was quite similar. It also wasn't easy or safe to walk across half of North America, whether voluntarily or not. Basically, to anyone who lived in this era - regardless of race, color or creed - we're all a bunch of whining pussies.

Really the main difference between the expulsion of the Cherokees and my proposed ethnic cleansing of the Palo Alto patent lawyers is that the Cherokees didn't deserve it, whereas the patent lawyers do. Lawless force can work good as well as evil. And when we've already left law behind, what's the alternative?

asciilifeform14y ago

There is always my crackpot solution to software patents:

http://www.loper-os.org/?p=309

Transparently offload the "patent sin" to a system's users. (With plausible deniability.)

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