Disordered Cogitations

TechDirt has a posting about a BusinessWeek article by patent holder Greg Blonder, who now sees the problem patents pose for innovation.

Patents are about invention, that is, protecting inventions. Innovation is about creating new value. Patents block the availability of inventions to be used the creation of new value.

I personally don't mind awarding reasonable inventions patents for a short period of time before the invention becomes public domain. The same is true for copyright--short periods of time. I believe the recents extensions of the term of copyright is bad for America because it limits the availability for innovation. The Founders had it right. Corporate America does not.