Nathan Myhrvold: It's Ok To Kill Innovation If You're Also Killing Mosquitoes
from the that's-not-how-it-works dept
You may have seen the story last week about how Intellectual Ventures is trying to hire a "VP of Global Good" to take some of IV's ideas -- not a single one of which has ever been brought to market -- and see about bringing them to the developing world. Here's what this is about: every time people talk about Intellectual Ventures and the way it's put a massive, pointless and wasteful tax on innovation around the globe, IV and its founder Nathan Myhrvold point to their laser mosquito zapper. It's the go-to talking point. "We're zapping mosquitoes and stopping malaria." Except, of course, that the product is just a demo, not anything out in the market. So, the VP of "Global Good" is to try to actually get the product out there and used. Of course, some of us are skeptical as to how effective it really would be, but we'll reserve judgment there.That said, Jeff Roberts, over at GigaOm, properly called out Intellectual Ventures for its hypocrisy in calling for "Global Good" when the company's entire business is focused on screwing over innovators by charging them an often substantial tax by bundling together tens of thousands of broad patents. Roberts notes that anyone taking the job is signing up for a "Faustian bargain."
The future “VP of Global Good” will be hard-pressed then to carry out enough good works to offset the colossal harm of his or her employer. Unless, of course, they choose to close the company and reform the patent system.The ever-thin-skinned Myhrvold took exception to that and mocked GigaOm -- a company that actually produces something, unlike Myhrvold's company -- because Malaria!
I think we do a whole lot more good for the world than GigaOm does. How big is their malaria research project? How much effort do they put into polio? I’m quite curious! What on Earth have they done that is —This is disingenuous to the point of being sickening. IV is very much a "for-profit venture" as well. In fact, if the leaks from the incredibly secretive company, concerning how much they charge companies are accurate, it's a massively profitable venture. And, if we're talking about "tools or toys for the rich," there's no better example of who Myhrvold is describing... than Myhrvold himself. Remember this is the guy who is selling a $600 cookbook about how to use modern technology to prepare your food.
You know, I was at a conference recently where someone said, “Well, do you feel good about what you’re doing?” I turned to this person who is an entrepreneur at a prominent social networking website, and I said, “OK, fine. You’re about people sending little messages to each other and having fun on a social network. How big is your malaria project?”
It turns out it’s very easy if you have a technology-centric mindset to think, Ah yes, Zynga, they’re doing — I don’t mean to call Zynga out in a negative way, but is Zynga doing God’s work? Is Facebook doing God’s work? Even setting aside what God’s work means, I think it’s pretty easy to say, those companies are doing wonderful things, but they are for-profit ventures. It’s either tools or toys for the rich. There really is a role in taking great technological ideas and trying to harness them for the poorest people on Earth.
But this claim -- that if you're not doing anything about malaria, you can't comment on how harmful Intellectual Ventures is for innovation, the economy and for society -- is ridiculous. Roberts, thankfully, hits back hard in a piece entitled, Malaria is no excuse for patent trolling, Mr. Myhrvold. Here's a snippet:
And, of course, for all the talk of stopping malaria, the bug zapping demo is just that. It's a demo. He hasn't done anything to stop malaria either. He's produced a fancy demo that the slobbering press loves, so that he can pretend to be doing good for the world, while being the single largest force against innovation in our economy today. The companies Myhrvold is shaking down and suing are producing real products in the real world, not just demanding people pay them or get sued.Well, the sentiment is certainly a noble one. The problem, though, is that Myhrvold is utterly unfit to espouse it. As we’ve stated before, no amount of philanthropy can undo the incredible ruin his company has unleashed on innovation through unfettered patent trolling. Lest you doubt, consider the following:
New research shows that Intellectual Ventures is tied to at least 1,300 shell companies whose sole purpose is to coerce real companies into buying patent license that they don’t want or need. Those who resist the “patent trolls” are dragged into nightmarish lawsuits.
Think what this means in practice. It means thousands of entrepreneurs must divert revenue from development and technology to pay Mr. Myhrvold’s licensing tax or else brace for millions in legal fees. Worse, Intellectual Ventures is targeting some of the most promising young start-ups in the country like hand-craft site Etsy. Now, instead of hiring workers and bolstering the economy, Etsy and others must put aside money to pay for Mr. Myhrvold instead.
Myhrvold is proving himself not to just be a completely obnoxious patent troll with his efforts, but now one who hides behind ridiculous moral relativism to hit back at critics with very real gripes. It's sickening.
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Filed Under: jeff roberts, malaria, mosquitoes, nathan myhrvold, patent trolling, patents
Companies: gigaom, intellectual ventures
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This situation is very similar to how the music royalty collection societies, i.e. mafia, extort from small businesses and local artists.
I am thoroguly disgusted by this.
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Stay classy Mr. Myhrvold.
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Looks like innovation to me!
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The "Leave a Comment" command is missing.
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The "Leave a Comment" command is missing.
Masnick has disabled the "Leave a Comment" in order to drive people over to his floundering Step 2 page. Not exactly a winning CwF formula, and is as doomed as all of the other attempts to resuscitate Step 2.
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Screw it...go back and stop lucifer from giving birth to perv-hold there.....improving the world one temporal assassination at a time.
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"Your mosquito project is also *our* mosquito project - we funded your laser demo by paying you off after you threatened us."
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Article title
Nathan Myhrvold: It's Ok To Kill Innovation If You're Also (not) Killing Mosquitoes
or
Nathan Myhrvold: It's Ok To Kill Innovation If You're Also (lying about) Killing Mosquitoes
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Some might say the mosquitoes are God's work.
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Malaria Research
If they were serious they would have sponsored existing players in the field - as Bill Gates has.
This is smoke and mirrors.
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Re: Malaria Research
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cap and trade
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Re: cap and trade
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I wonder how close myrvhold is to his pets? assuming he doesn't beat kittens to death for furball license violations...
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Kill mosquitoes to stop Malaria and let the rest of the medical development burn in ruins?
Someone should calculate how much patents cost people.
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Wow, that's intoxicating. "How big is your malaria project?" will enter the annals of universal comebacks, resting with the hallowed "Nuh-uh!" "I know you are but what am I?" and "I'm rubber and you're glue."
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SLAP!
Going great, just got another mosquito.
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He won't becuase of the money
Oh, and "God's Work"?... Got Ego?
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Re: He won't becuase of the money
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GGs
My latest invention involves a design that is economical,fun and can be cheaply manufactured at the local level.
It involves two blocks of wood with flat and smooth surfaces of a size to comfortably fit in a child's hand. When a mosquito is spotted by the child, he or she would bring the two blocks of wood together rapidly thus trapping the mosquito between them and turning them into little globs of goo (GGs) and making a loud noise at the same time.
The loud noise would delight the child and cause them to laugh and be happy.The GGs could be counted by a laser system and points could be acquired and used (via my website,GGs.Gooey)to earn other credits that can be redeemed for local vouchers that can be redeemed for local credits to pay for malaria shots.
I'm still working out all the fine details, such as proper licensing, but I think this is going to be really big.
Makes much more sense than Myhrvold's Laser and GGs.
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Re: GGs
If so, count me in I'll buy 3 dozen.
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To have that functionality enabled would require an extra license "per Testicle Smashed or squashed"
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"I can steal your pocket money, and my big brother will make sure you can't fight back."
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All fits
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The reason IV doesn't bring any product to market
Because IV is a trolling NPE, there is no fear of mutual destruction when deciding to troll them.
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Re: The reason IV doesn't bring any product to market
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What about the children?
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Microsoft Shill
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If you kill all the mosquitoes...
Pollinators?
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Size
IV - Intellectual Ventures or Injecting Viagra???
Anyways althought I can't help with malaria I think one of the biggest and most disgusting bugs on the planet is IV..and they need to be squashed post-haste.
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more dissembling by Masnick
Not all competition is fair. When the courts permit a larger competitor to use an invention without the inventor's permission, it's like having a duel where your challenger has your gun and all the bullets. Think again...or just think!
It�s about property rights. They should not only be for the rich and powerful. Show me a country with weak or ineffective property rights and I�ll show you a weak economy and high unemployment.
Masnick and his monkeys have an unreported conflict of interest-
https://www.insightcommunity.com/cases.php?n=10&pg=1
They sell blog filler and "insights" to major corporations including MS, HP, IBM etc. who just happen to be some of the world�s most frequent patent suit defendants. Obviously, he has failed to report his conflicts as any reputable reporter would. But then Masnick and his monkeys are not reporters. They are patent system saboteurs receiving funding from huge corporate infringers. They cannot be trusted and have no credibility. All they know about patents is they don�t have any.
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Fallacy in doing God's work
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Malaria and Zapping
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