EH.R: Path dependency

================= EH.RES POSTING ================= I was surprised at the increased activity which the topic of path dependency has generated. This topic has produced an extended exchange of views which is presumably because the theory is of interest at this time to enough people to get an exchange going. I wonder what the triggering action was to choose that topic and what was the path to that choice and whether those who chose it had any rational reason to select it and any expectation of the level of activity it generated. Was there an alternative that might have been more popular! [EDITOR'S NOTE: We here at EH.Res did no market research of potentially popular topics. Instead, we are relying on the old-fashioned, "seat of the pants" method of trial and error. We are open, however, to any suggestions for future topics that might pursue another line (or path) of discussion---Jonathan Bean, co-editor, EH.Res] I worked for almost forty years in industry dealing with new products in a Patent Dept both from the point of view of whether a new development was patentable and just as important would any third party patents be infringed. The path to an acceptable product( not necessarily the most techically efficient and cost effective) can in many cases be related to being more sensitive to market needs than a competitor and being able to sell your solution of a problem to the consumer more effectively than your competitor,and in some cases know how to get round their patents. One learns that it is difficult to generalise and that almost every innovation is a particular case and I feel this applies to all the situations which have been suggested for testing' the theory of path dependancy'particularly when you try to look at things like voltage choice on an international scale or fuel choices for automobiles . In Tokyo and possibly all large Japanese cities ,I understand, taxis run on natural gas,which generates a distinctive smell which might be enough in some countries to trigger an adverse reaction to its use. One possible area of research would be to look at reported patent cases where a long felt want defense rebutted arguments of obviousness as amongst these cases there will be cases where all the integers making up the invention have been available for many years but not combined.Alternative solutions may be discussed and the reasons why they were not taken up suggested. Tom Jackson Silloth Cumbria CA5 4QH UK ============ FOOTER TO EH.RES POSTING ============ For information, send the message "info EH.RES" to lists@cs.muohio.edu. >