[ILUG] patents again

[Conor Daly]

On Tue, Apr 26, 2005 at 06:06:39PM +0100 or so it is rumoured hereabouts, 
Colm MacCarthaigh thought:
> On Tue, Apr 26, 2005 at 04:52:58PM +0100, Conor Daly wrote:
> > 
> > I presume they're also aware that the same multinationals will desert
> > Ireland as soon as one of the new EU entrants offers them a better tax
> > regime.  Having SW pats in place will make this a more attractive option
> > for a country since their indiginous software industry will be dead and
> > therefore, an anti-swpat stance from Ireland will better protect our
> > dependence on MS, IBM etc...
> >  
> > So, could we use that then?
> 
> You're contradicting yourself. First you say it's all about our tax
> regime, but then that it's about the local base.

No, I'm saying it's all about taxes.

> Do you honestly think the likes of Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco, Google,
> Yahoo, Amazon, ebay, Doubleclick and so on are in Ireland because of the
> quality of local talent? That's just the token line the Department of
> Enterprise and the IDA use in press releases. Until now it's been all
> about our low rate of corporation tax and IDA grants, very little else.

No.  They're here because of the low taxes.  When other EU countries offer
them lower taxes {as they'll be able to do given their poorer status}, the
multinationals will desert Ireland. 

If swpats happen and local software enterprise dies due to litigation,
there'll be nothing these countries can do apart from try to attract the
multinationals.  If swpats don't happen, then they'll be able to develop
their indiginous software industries. 
 
Conor
-- 
Conor Daly <conor.daly at oceanfree.net>

Domestic Sysadmin :-)
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