Quote from: AmDD on May 11, 2016, 06:57:37 PM

Quote from: AgentofCoin on May 11, 2016, 06:53:12 PM

Quote from: AmDD on May 11, 2016, 06:37:28 PM

I dont see why this should be blocked anymore than ASICs were. If it works then eventually everyone will use this process and "standard" ASICs would be obsolete. Just like FPGAs, GPUs and CPUs.

Yes, but currently no one is required by law to pay another party to be able to mine.
No one to my knowledge pays patent rights to ASIC companies or any other miner manufacturer.
They only pay to buy the product and there is not an additional payment for right to use over time.

If the patent is approved, then the issue becomes, in the future no one can properly
compete unless they pay for a right to use this superior technology (this is speculative).
Only those who have the money and resources will be able to purchase it. Of course, the company
can release it for free use, after their patent, but this is not likely and will ultimately lead to a new
tech race which will result in even more centralized mining, if not bringing creating the final few.

Good point. I guess I was focused more on the tech than the idea of a patent.

It won't necessarily translate to a few people/companies are the only ones able to mine. Once the patent got approved, should they decided to sell the rights to use the tech to ASIC companies, these companies will simply pass the costs to their end-users, us miners and the huge mining organizations. In the end everyone gets to upgrade, and the situation would stay the same as it is now.