I think the release of technology would piss off a lot of people who currently make money off of our current tech, they would try to suppress it, hide it, discredit it and try to legally restrict people’s access to it.
What a sad world we live in, I welcome the Grays, it’s the humans with the problems.
In case anyone is interested: a book came out just yesterday called Year Zero on this very subject:
The fact that someone else has come up with the same idea is not sufficient to prove that an invention is “non-obvious” and not deserving of patent protection.
However, if the Greys’ could prove that they invented it first, it would be prior art, and the current patentholder would have an invalid patent.
Well that would be the entirely new can of worms that would be opened up. Do we throw out megatons of Human patents because it was also developed by an alien culture? Do we allow them to sue us for infringing on patents we couldn’t possibly have known about? Do we allow them to put forth new claims that effectively stifle innovation and manufacturing on this world?
Or do we say that all existing patents hold true, but new patents will be subject to alien rights to said technology, which may also dead-end us by preventing development in new fields?
Or do we say ‘fuck off’ to the aliens?
No doubt somebody would try something like this:
[QUOTE=Babylon 5, “Grail”]
Mr. Flinn: We went through their archives, and we found proof that his great-grandfather abducted my great-grandfather, and just took him away in a spaceship. Frankly, Your Honor, we want damages!
Ombuds Wellington: (to alien) How do you plead?
Alien: (holds up a card with strange symbols)
Ombuds Wellington: Could I please have a translation team in here? (mutters) Why is it Ombuds Zimmermann never gets these cases? Only me?
[/QUOTE]