Generating a Living from Invention

There are specific issues that relate to the income levels for people who participate in invention. Ideally the commercial world would be looking at them as the beginning link in the chain of events that land a product onto the market for the consumer to enjoy. The creativity and hard work that goes into invention ought to be rewarded with some sort of income. What is really disappointing is the fact that many great inventors are left on the website while the venture capitalists make money from their invention. Whereas the government has been very active in the area of consumer protection, it has not shown the same zeal when it comes to dealing with people who are protecting their inventions.

The first thing that happens is that some people will attempt to break the copyright laws in order to exploit the naivety of the person who is responsible for the invention. In some countries copyright is no longer taken to be a serious matter and people are quite happy to exploit the work of other people under the pretext that it belongs to them. The thinking behind this practice is the mantra that if everyone is doing it then there is no problem with it. The copyright laws are weak as it stands but at the same time little effort is made towards enforcing those laws. What we then have is drift in terms of letting people get away with murder.

Invention and Income Streams

The invention market is seriously harmed if people are stealing copyright. The income of the inventor relies on his or her ability to protect the revenues that come from the resale of their product. If this revenue stream is closed down by cultural problems and corruption then they will not have the income to fund their own lifestyle. That is why it is advisable for invention to be protected by copyright at the earliest opportunity. The inventor also has a duty to watch out for any infringements and deal with them through the court process if that is possible.

Although the courts take a deem view of some copyright infringements the relevant law might have effectively tied their hands. There are prescribed punishments outside the remit of the criminal laws and therefore it becomes difficult to add a really punitive element to the repercussions of blatant breaches. The legal system can be so unsupportive that the individual decides that the best course of action is to completely ignore the copyright issues and get on with their lives. Having seen the court in action, this might not seem to be such a bad idea.

However there has to be an income for people who make invention possible for the rest of the community. Otherwise the economies will come to a standstill and there will be no development within certain sectors of the society. This is not a desirable outcome for either invention or the inventors who work in the business. There has to be a better way.