[HN Gopher] Growth by proximity - Moretti on the effect of high-...
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       Growth by proximity - Moretti on the effect of high-tech hubs on
       innovation
        
       Author : nabla9
       Score  : 30 points
       Date   : 2021-10-16 09:56 UTC (13 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.aeaweb.org)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.aeaweb.org)
        
       | df3ab91e5bc5 wrote:
       | Using patents as a proxy for innovation seems to be questionable.
       | Most of the larger tech firms develop what are known as
       | "defensive patents". Many of these patents may or may not
       | actually be used for anything, and their actual value is
       | questionable. Engineers will brainstorm an idea, and throw it
       | over the wall to legal, who then will 'refine' the idea into
       | something patentable. Typically, the original idea will only be
       | vaguely recognizable after the lawyers get through with it.
       | 
       | To my knowledge, these patents provide no value to the company or
       | society beyond being a negotiating tool if another company tries
       | to sue them for infringing a patent.
       | 
       | That is to say, the only use these patents have are for big
       | companies, so it's unsurprising that big companies, concentrated
       | in a few metro areas, are the only ones wasting time to create
       | them.
        
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       (page generated 2021-10-16 23:00 UTC)