josh said:
>   I do know big companies like Microsoft, who
>   employ more lawyers than some small countries boast,
>   have paid a lot of money in the past for licenses for fonts,
>   which they wouldn't need if there were
>   no copyright attached to the typefaces.

perhaps what their "need" is, in this situation,
is to legitimize a form of highway robbery that
they intend on using themselves to the fullest...

i'm sure you heard bill gates recently escalated
the number of patents for which microsoft applies.
no, there was no sudden leap in their "innovation",
but just a policy-shift that reflected their belief that
(ab)use of the patent process was a new goldmine...

all of the big corporations pay licensing fees gladly.
they realize that -- among themselves -- they're just
shuffling a lot of cash back and forth in the process --
which they don't mind, it keeps their accountants busy
-- so none of them really _make_ a lot, or _lose_ a lot...

but the real benefit accrues to them by virtue of the fact
that this practice raises the cost of entry for new players...
they realize they can't knock each other out, but they can
work together to ensure that nobody else enters the ring...

-bowerbird