Reply to post: Re: IBM is to FOSS as oil is to water

Official: IBM to gobble Red Hat for $34bn – yes, the enterprise Linux biz

Anonymous Coward
Anonymous Coward

Re: IBM is to FOSS as oil is to water

"Then judging by the news of all the IP theft going on, the Cold War never ended."

You're not entirely right.

During the Cold War, the USSR and China ignored patents because it was good Communist doctrine that all ideas belonged to the proletariat.

Since the Cold War, they ignore patents because it's good capitalist doctrine to pinch anything that is not nailed down.

During the 19th century US industrial growth was assisted by a general ignoring of other countries' patents and copyrights. This changed rapidly once the US had its own to protect. It's just part of the way things are.

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