I see here how IBM opened its personal computer architecture to the whole world and how the whole world started making PCs as IBM compatible. A win-win situation where all those PC makers prospered along with IBM. A whole new industry got created and is thriving even today as those PCs have become as essential as a table and chair in every office and home.
Why not adopt a similar strategy rather than going for those clumsy and time consuming procedures of patent protection and then those long drwan legal battles?
For example if Apple can license their technology to likes of say Samsung, tomorrow Samsung will be able to legally produce Apple-compatible Iphones! All those legal wars , counterfeit parts from the unscruplous sources will vanish.
So like AMD started making CPUs which were Intel compatible without officially declaring so , with licensing agreements companies will be able to produce genuine second source parts with a tag "xxx-compatible" to gurantee the same features and performance and reliability as the original company parts.
Well, I doubt patents will be the solution to counterfeiting. The Chinese companies are not even trying to hide that they are copying from a 'patented' product. The issue is with enforcing the law.
I believe that small companies are thinking of patents as assets, and when Apple values them they see how many patents they have and that impacts the overall value.
I am all for patent protection, and in fact we need an even better control of the system. The fact that there is billions to be made in the counterfeiting business, businesses and countries need to stand together to fight this. The biggest issue I have is with companies stock piling patents to prevent another company’s innovation or to cash in on other peoples inventions. If they are going look at some reform with the patent laws, they should also look into the issue of stock piling patents to shut competitors down.
I agree with the discussion here that a trade-off needs to be achieved when it comes to patents. The patent and copyright laws should seek to protect ideas of individuals and companies so as to encourage innovation and new development, yet at the same time too much protection by the law will result in abuses and misuses of the system - just what Apple is doing.
Counterfeiting is a huge problem and a global challenge and without the world business community and governments in sync on trying to stamp it out, then it will continue to be troublesome.
That's a good point, Nemos. I am in favor of protecting one's designs and intellectual property but not in favor of using that as a pretext to squash someone else.
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Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
While no one really can accurately predict the future, we can take guidance from another Drucker saying which is the best way to predict the future is to create it.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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