Red Monkey 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: Lack Of Food Copyright Helps Restaurant Innovation Thrive

    Red Monkey ( profile ), 11 Jul, 2010 @ 09:45am

    growing your business

    "shouldn't a lender look at everything before making a decision?"

    True enough, and without some IP protection, the borrower has one fewer thing going in its favor. Thus, you can't deny that not having IP protection has made things a little harder for the borrower. The only question remaining is how much harder.

    "Third, why should I be unhappy about Taco Bell competing with J. Random Taco Truck? Isn't that what the Sacred Free Market is all about? "

    Sure, if you believe there is no such thing as unfair competition. Under those circumstances, I'd suggest that J Random buy a second truck, dress it up with the Taco Bell logo, park it next to his real truck, and start selling really crappy tacos. Or he could just put a Taco Bell sign on his truck and pass off his tacos as theirs, and get a free ride on their advertising. No IP protection means no law against either of these. Viva la free market!

  • On the post: Lack Of Food Copyright Helps Restaurant Innovation Thrive

    Red Monkey ( profile ), 11 Jul, 2010 @ 07:26am

    growing your business

    So if you want to expand your taco business, and the conversation goes like this"

    YOU: "Hi banker, can you lend me money to buy more trucks and to hire more workers"
    BANKER: "Hmmm, OK, but what assurance do I have that you'll be able to pay me back"
    YOU: "Well, everybody loves my tacos. Here, try one!"
    BANKER: "Yup, it's good. But what stops some big guy like Taco Bell from just copying what you do and driving you out of business"
    YOU: "Gee, nothing I guess. Anonymous Coward says anyone should be able to copy my stuff"
    BANKER": "Well, I'm not sure I can risk our depositors' money on this one. Thanks for the taco by the way."

  • On the post: Andy Grove Suggests US Protectionism For Tech Jobs

    Red Monkey ( profile ), 10 Jul, 2010 @ 02:52pm

    reaching equilibrium sooner

    So if Richard's theory is correct, and first world and third world should theoretically reach economic equilibrium, then tariffs are a good way to make that equilibrium happen a bit sooner. The idea would be to apply a tariff to an extent that depends on the extent to which the cost of production here differs from the cost of production in a hypothetical country in a world in which such equilibrium has already been achieved. This would help level the playing field faster and in a controlled way.

  • On the post: Lack Of Food Copyright Helps Restaurant Innovation Thrive

    Red Monkey ( profile ), 10 Jul, 2010 @ 02:40pm

    How exactly is copyright even relevant here? Copyright is for protecting expressions of an idea? You obviously can't copyright a Korean taco. I can see maybe patenting a method of making a taco, or the combination of ingredients. But a copyright on a taco? Which of the eight categories in section 102 would a Korean taco even fall into?

  • On the post: Lack Of Food Copyright Helps Restaurant Innovation Thrive

    Red Monkey ( profile ), 10 Jul, 2010 @ 06:04am

    Anonymous Coward

    My comment on patented seeds is not irrelevant. We are talking about intellectual property. Copyright is one species of that (and probably the worst choice for protecting food)

    The point is that it's not smart to say food became interesting because of lack of IP protection when there wasn't any much of that protection the whole time anyway. I think the argument would be a lot better if we suddenly removed IP protection on food, and all of a sudden it became more interesting. But that's not what happened is it?

  • On the post: Andy Grove Suggests US Protectionism For Tech Jobs

    Red Monkey ( profile ), 10 Jul, 2010 @ 04:04am

    I imagine it works both ways. If importing their goods imports "a little bit of their economic structure" then when they import our money in exchange, they also import "a little bit of our economic structure." Eventually I suppose we would trade places and become an outsourcing destination, and the cycle would begin again.

    What about the defense implications of outsourcing? Could we have helped out i WWII if we hadn't had auto factories available to convert into tank factories?

  • On the post: Lack Of Food Copyright Helps Restaurant Innovation Thrive

    Red Monkey ( profile ), 10 Jul, 2010 @ 03:41am

    Let me get this straight. 100 years ago food was boring and there was no copyright. Now food is more interesting and there is still no copyright. From this, we are supposed to conclude that food has become more interesting because of the lack of copyright?

    Oh but wait, 100 years ago there weren't a lot of patented seeds, food production equipment, fertilizers, irrigiation equipment, food transport systems, etc. and today there are. And now food is more interesting. Cause and effect? Naaah...just a coincidence.

  • On the post: Gucci Allowed To Sue Credit Card Processors For Contributory Infringement Over Counterfeit Goods

    Red Monkey ( profile ), 07 Jul, 2010 @ 04:10am

    Never a good idea to sue service providers that you yourself rely on. Gucci may find itself labelled a "high risk" provider for different reasons.

    BTW, don't the guys that print our know that cash is used for (and in many cases regarded as the best choice for) these and other kinds of purchases? I would think they might be just a little bit more nervous today. Isn't the absence of having taken any steps to control the use cash, combined with knowledge of its illegal uses, sufficient to be "willfully shutting one's eyes"?

  • On the post: Why Should You Have To Pay A Fee To Paint A Picture Of A Building?

    Red Monkey ( profile ), 11 Nov, 2009 @ 04:50am

    Looking at a building can't be regarded as copyright infringement because you haven't really made a copy of anything.

  • On the post: Why Should You Have To Pay A Fee To Paint A Picture Of A Building?

    Red Monkey ( profile ), 11 Nov, 2009 @ 03:04am

    Paying to draw a building

    Why shouldn't you pay? The design is copyrighted, architects have a hard life and they (usually) make nice buildings. Imagine how good he'd feel if you sent him a quarter and told him how nice his work was.

  • On the post: You Don't Get To Double (Or Triple) Dip On Damages For Both Copyright And Trademark Infringement

    Red Monkey ( profile ), 22 Sep, 2009 @ 03:56am

    I don't think this is double dipping. TM and C serve different purposes.

    If I copy your story and sign it as written by "Coca Cola", that's clearly two separate offenses: first I copied your story, then I lead people into believing it is somehow associated with Coca Cola (r).

  • On the post: MLB Refuses To Give Permission To Guy To Describe Game To A Friend

    Red Monkey ( profile ), 05 Sep, 2009 @ 04:58am

    What about those souvenir programs with the blank scoresheets and pencil stubs they hand out at the ballpark? Are you supposed to just leave them blank? Or can you just turn them in after the game?

  • On the post: MLB Refuses To Give Permission To Guy To Describe Game To A Friend

    Red Monkey ( profile ), 05 Sep, 2009 @ 04:43am

    What about those souvenir programs with the blank scoresheets and pencil stubs they hand out at the ballpark? Are you supposed to just leave them blank? Or can you just turn them in after the game?

  • On the post: On The Inevitability Of Exponential Progress In Technology

    Red Monkey ( profile ), 25 Jul, 2009 @ 04:59am

    Try an experiment?

    Why not eliminate patents in one small area of technology for a few years just to see if Moore's law is impacted?

  • On the post: On The Inevitability Of Exponential Progress In Technology

    Red Monkey ( profile ), 25 Jul, 2009 @ 04:59am

    Try an experiment?

    Why not eliminate patents in one small area of technology for a few years just to see if Moore's law is impacted?