How Royalties Suppose to Work
Beta. OK. Some inventors would like to get attribution and royalties from every business using their inventions. This seems to be fair and will reward creative work. Thus, it becomes more attractive for people to invent and to reveal their inventions to the public. Did I tell everything, Alpha?
Alpha. (Shrugs)... There is one more point. You cannot give attribution for every single idea you use. This is why I proposed to do it for a limited time, say ten years. After ten years of public use, an idea becomes common knowledge and attribution is not necessary any more. Then business use of the idea does not require attribution any more and you don't have to collect zillions of references.
Teacher. Very good, Alpha. We have all of your ideas summarized now and it is your turn. Please, make a summary of Beta's ideas.
Alpha. I had to fix what Beta said about my ideas, anyway. I believe, he will summarize his ideas better than me.
Teacher. I cannot insist, although I am sure this exercise would be very helpful for our deliberations. If we all know, that in the end of the day we have to do summaries of each others' ideas, we will pay more attention to what everyone says.
Alpha. I remember everything all of us said. I just do not feel like I want to repeat after Beta.
Teacher. OK, anyone?
Beta. I can try.
Gamma. I can.
Teacher. Let us go with Gamma.
How Attribution is Supposed to Work
Gamma. If an inventor shares his ideas freely, and anyone, who uses them, gives the inventor a proper attribution, then he gets advertised by all these people, becomes famous and rich. He becomes even more credible if he gives a reference back to those who uses his invention. All the uses and attributions increase value of the invention and publicity of the inventor. At the same time all businesses have equal access to the invention and thus have equal opportunity to compete as businesses normally do... Did I get it right?
Against Attribution
Teacher. I think so. Now, I believe, we can summarize argument against both positions and continue from there.
Kappa. To continue where?
Teacher. Ah! The best question! We must return to our main issue!
Beta. A summary is necessary anyway.
Teacher. OK, anyone?
Alpha. My objections to Beta's ideas sustained.
Teacher. Please, Alpha.
Alpha. Firstly, as a creator, I would not like to wait and see how other people make money out of my creative work and tap me on a shoulder for gratitude, because that reference of yours is nothing more, but a tap on a shoulder. It costs you nothing, while you earn money and I don't. I would not introduce any other invention in that case. Secondly, you cannot provide all of zillions of references anyway. So, some royalties paid for limited time will be fair working solution to all our problems. Thank you.
Against Royalties
Teacher. Thank you, Alpha. Any argument against royalties?
Alpha. Summary of argument.
Teacher. Yes, summary of what was argued against royalties, so far.
Kappa. May I?
Teacher. You bet.
Kappa. Firstly, if there are two businesses based on one and the same idea, they compete using normal business means, such as marketing , productivity and so forth. Now, if we, for some reason, take money from one and give them to another, this would give an advantage to it, hamper the competition and so forth. I even believe that a business, which have to pay royalties on the top of all other expenses may not start at all.
Alpha. So? It may go about something else. Why would they take something from me for free? Why don't they take my equipment as well? Ah?
Delta. When someone takes your equipment, you lose it. When someone copies your idea, you still retain it, you lose nothing. There is a big difference here.
Alpha. But I lose money! How many times should I remind you of this?
Gamma. I don't see how you lose money, so far. You get additional money for sure because of references. You told this yourself at one point and then you called it "tap on the shoulder!" You changed your opinion ten times today and never considered all of the arguments!
Alpha. I never acknowledged that your references increase my earnings and I never will.
Kappa. By the way, I never finished my summary...
All...?
Kappa. That Alpha's limited time and amount of royalties cannot be determined by market forces and should be set up artificially, based on nobody knows what...
Alpha. I haven't heard this argument before... All of it, except for royalties.
Beta. Does this really affect the logic behind it?
Alpha. We agreed to do a summary and proceed to the initial issue.
Teacher. All right.
- Войдите, чтобы оставлять комментарии