Tim Marman's Loosely Coupled

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• Why do gun manufacturers deserve immunity?

  Talk about double standards. A company can be held liable for making software, but somehow deserves immunity for manufacturing weapons ? The Senate is considering whether a bill designed to shield the firearms industry from most lawsuits that result from gun crimes should give children and police the right to sue. Supporters say the shielding legislation, sponsored by Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, and backed by the National Rifle Association, is necessary to protect the gun industry from massive, court-ordered damages that could bankrupt it. The comparison between P2P software companies and gun manufacturers makes a lot of sense to me. Why should we hold them to different standards? But then, logic is moot when you have the NRA and RIAA on opposite sides of the fight. Read the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act here . This quote from the NY Times article sums up my thoughts nicely: "Opponents of Craig's bill say no industry should have that kind of legal protection, least of all one... Posted Jul 29 2005, 07:10 AM by Tim with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: Intellectual Property, Rants, Law School, Things that bother me

• Did you hear the one about the lawyer and the software engineer?

  phosita points to a post claiming that software engineers are stupid - at least when compared to lawyers. The author's underlying premise is that the legal profession has a high barrier to entry that, in turn, guarantees high salaries. Each step is a filter. For example, only 66% of students finish high school. Fewer complete a university degree. Even fewer are admitted to law school, and even fewer complete it. 30% of law school graduates are going to fail the bar exam, and only about 10% of these students will land a job at a good law firm. Finally, only about 20% new associates in a good law firm are likely to make partner. As a result, very competent people who could certainly serve as excellent lawyers are barred from giving legal advice to anyone (for example, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Michael Dell, and Rush Limbaugh). Also, the legal bar has an adverse effect on minorities, limiting the number of minorities available to serve as potential judges and legal advocates. But, these... Posted Mar 14 2005, 12:40 PM by Tim with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, Intellectual Property, Rants, Law School, Things that amuse me