As someone that has invented novel algorithms I still feel Patents are a net negative especially for software. I just wish EU would be a better place for „startup“ innovation. My experience with the university infrastructure in that area isn’t great:
Strong patent laws stop innovation at the research stage. Derivative works, such as turning research into a startup or a public company, becomes rent seeking.
Where in the world can you escape this rent seeking?
China's stereotype is having no copyright enforcement, but this seems to be wrong.
>Plaintiffs won in 80.16% of all patent infringement cases included in the population. Such a win rate was higher than its counterparts in many major countries – Germany (approximately 66%) and the United States (approximately 60%), for example.
Why do you think this is (avoiding any anti-refugee sentiment in other comments on the thread)?
I used to live in Europe and worked with many Europeans while living in the Bay Area. It seems like lots make the jump stateside. Having universal healthcare seems like it would be a big incentive to take entrepreneurial risk vs. our situation here in the U.S.
It’s a bit too simple to say the EU doesn’t create software startups. Some countries/cities do generate plenty of successful startups and some don’t. Just like most US states haven’t produced any successful startups
That makes sense. Sweden and some of the other Nordic countries seem to crank a lot of them out.
It is a bummer that a lot of startups, regardless of geography, feel the need to move once they hit a certain level. It produces brain drain and is a missed opportunity to bring economic growth to their home regions.
Because that's only one aspect, you also have to consider other things like availability of investment capital, operating costs, and the bureaucracy of starting and running a business.
The EU is not a great place for innovation, period. Here are the major problems:
1. No common language
2. Incredibly high taxes, particularly sales taxes
3. Unfinished transition out of Communism in many Eastern Countries
4. Preference for cheap illegal labor instead of automation
This could be solved by:
1. Formalising an 'EU English' language so that schools teaching it can open up around the continent and families can move from one country to another without having to pay for extortionate international schools
2. Eliminate payroll taxes, limit sales taxes to a maximum of 10%. Deport all illegal immigrants (who are huge burdens on the State and society) and raise pension ages to 70 in order to save money. Limit bachelor degrees to the top 20% of the population and Master's degrees to the top 10%, to encourage people into the workforce earlier in life. Raise taxes on land and pollution.
3. Limit EU funding for countries like Bulgaria that have not transitioned to modern Democracy or Bureaucracy.
4. Withdraw from the UN convention on refugees, deport all illegal immigrants, pay and help North African countries to guard their own coastlines, and replace migrants with robots and automation.
This will immensely boost the living standards of the average European, but hurt bureaucrats and old-money.
Immigration is NOT the issue.
Corrupt government and corporatocracy is.
With all those subsidies going to
coal, oil, cars, planes and whatnot, we could pay and educate all the immigrants a thousand fold, and make them a super producive labour force.
You're gonna be a kick ass employee if you're motivated enough to risk your life and travel for years, for education and a better job.
The economic migrants that have travelled to Europe illegally are mostly illiterate and with few skills. They are consistently borne out to be at the bottom of society and over-represented on welfare rolls and jails. Essentially they will form a permanent underclass in Europe and a forever burden.
They come into Europe to work on huge farms owned by wealthy Europeans. Here is an example - essentially all of the manual labour in these towns is illegal:
Without these workers the production would be automated and picked by robots (providing jobs for European engineers, technicians, developers). When you can pay someone $2/hour, with their lives subsidies by the taxpayer, there is no justification for robots.
The most dastardly action performed by the ruling class of Europe is to bring in millions of exploitable workers and claim they are doing it on the basis of human rights.
Sure, it's not like the current lines of conflict haven't existed for hundreds of years or anything. This reductionist mentality is really starting wear thin.
Repeated mentions of deporting illegal immigrants and withdrawing from the UN convention on refugees are typically only found in ultra-right-wing party programs in Europe.
