Re:Patent office will be our doom (Score 2)

Seriously, the way patents are implemented is outdated. Patentees get at least 5 years (or is it 20) to profit from their patent. On the other hand chip speeds double every 18 months, says Moore. Why not make technology patents worth like only 6-12 months of personal profit. 5 years is great if you invent a new plow or sewing machine(such things were the intended targets of the law), but for computer patents obselescence comes too quickly, and the average judge on the bench can't tell an IC from his IV. On another point entirely, aren't they suing away their own lifeblood? Without competition from 3dfx what will keep them to their 6-month design cycle. For that matter, why not just push out chips more slowly and milk the public for profit. We NEED 3dfx to keep nVidia being the good chip people they are. --Use the Batgas!