Re: poly: Idea Futures, some questions

 hanson@econ.berkeley.edu (Robin Hanson) writes:
>Nick B. writes:
>>Contract this with the idea futures situation. Suppose a research
>>project requires the collaboration of many people. Each of these
>>persons (and possibly many others too) could steal the gist
>>of the research findings and buy idea futures. If their personal
>>transactions are monitored, they could tip their friends.
>
>With patents, they could similarly tell their friends about the patent
>idea, and their friends could then file for the patent.

 It's pretty hard to patent an idea stolen from a friend without that
friend noticing. I think this plays an important role in detering such
filings. It's a good deal harder to detect the use of stolen ideas to
profit on an idea futures market.

-- 
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