Erik, cool article. As a former UK patentee myself, I admit I was once in that old capitalist mindset, part of the problem.

I was born and somewhat raised in the same town from which James Watt also sprang. He is often held up as the most successful patentee of all time, so it seemed natural for me to aspire to something in the same direction.

However, we can see that what might have been appropriate in the earlier years of the industrial revolution, in furthering the interests of humanity, through technology, does not work so well now.

My ambitions with patent were stopped with the purchase of the UK company who licensed my patent, by a US company, who of course paid no royalties to me, despite continuing to market my prototypes in US.

I am actually grateful for that theft of my “Intellectual Property”, as it helped me realise that rather than furthering technology, patents actually retard it. Intellectual property now should now belong to “The commons”, where any others can build on our valuable work.

If we all contributed to the commons in such a way, the world would be such a better place.

Needless to say, VRENAR, or whichever system like it we settle on to solve the current problems, will fully enable, encourage, and reward all folks adding value to the world in that way.