But though the apparent beneficiaries of this change are software developers, those same developers are beginning to resist this expansion in their rights. Companies such as Adobe have opposed the change, as have many smaller developers. They fear patents will make coding far more costly, and that this cost may drive them out of the market. When the beneficiaries of a government monopoly object to it, that should suggest that the politicians have got it wrong. But the lawyers pressing for patent expansion in Europe seem reluctant to listen, and Europe's parliament is racing to mimic the US without pausing to think.
Patents are a form of regulation.
They are a governmentbacked monopoly that can extend for 20 years. This regulation is sometimes thought necessary to help spur innovation. Patents, the argument goes, help create incentives to innovate. The answer is not obvious. As economists have long argued, while it is sometimes true that a patent will spur innovation, it is not always the case.