I have been able to find any studies that conclude that patents help innovation. Can somebody provide links if there are any?
I only see the number of patents mentioned as "evidence" of innovation.
They were independantly rediscovered about a century later - but how many lives were lost in those 100years!
I think, as software people, we tend to generalize the ridiculousness of software patents, and we decide that all patents are ridiculous. There are industries where innovation is the result of serious risk and serious investment, and it is in everyone's best interest to encourage that. The rub is figuring out which industries and which classes of innovation should be protected, and which should not be protected.
I would suggest the bounty system as a way to deal with the need for CURES to disease. Or treatments if cures are not possible.
There is a cost to innovating and a cost of dealing with the government. Yes, dealing with the government is a very expensive process.
Ensuring safety is important. Does the current approach accomplish this? Some would question that it does.
Still, whoever pays that bill and takes the risk of never being paid back should get a fair return if successful.
If one feels that the government has the right to create this enormous regulatory burden, than it can certainly assign the benefits of going through all of that to the one paying the bills for a sufficient time to recover those costs.
I qualify that because I don't quite agree the government should be involved or that coercion is necessary, but that is a whole other can of worms.
If there is a benefit to be had, there is a price worth paying. I just don't automatically assume government is the way to make that happen.
We are quite used to seeing government or coercion as the method, but I think other mechanisms can make the same beneficial occur. For the most part, I think government is a far greater impediment to many good things than most people realize.
But I give your comment a point. Its a valid concern.
I would also argue that a lot of people invest in finding a solution to problems that affect themselves or loved ones without any thought to the possible financial return. The cure is what they want and its worth spending money to obtain.
I can see how patents could help there. Are there any studies that favor patents?
The patent system exists, the assumption is that it works. Why would anyone think to do a study to prove it?
On the other hand, proving that it doesn't work is certainly an interesting research topic.