Billion Dollar Code

Here is a Netflix series loosely based on facts that is a useful guide in the technicalities that are in place when dealing with the subject of Intellectual Property. In the first section where we tackled Intellectual Property and Technology, we shared in the last part of the conversation a section where we recommend a film. Billion Dollar Code is a useful guide when dealing with this subject. It is told in about four parts. It presents a useful picture into the history of East Germany right after the wall came down and the optimism and idealism that was in the air as well as the creativity that emerged during this age. It is a story of the conversion of Art into Technology and an exploration of how relationships form and can fragment when massive amounts of money are made. It also illustrates the major benefits that were derived from Hacker Communities. The deeper and more technical question though is about the importance of Patents and the need to be aware of the limitations of Patent Law in your country or region. The series also helps you to make sense of the challenges of patenting Software especially code. Even if we are in a time when many are encouraged to make use of code snippets with the existence of sites built with the exclusive purpose of sharing code, a lot of care needs to be taken by developers as they create and seek to patent code. The other interesting discussion is about the cost of Patent Attorneys and the ability of bigger companies to exploit smaller ones with great innovations. The other useful idea that we see in this show is the importance of having technical lawyers in the field of Patent Law to fight on behalf of Software Developers. 

The ability of the film to go back and forth in history and present the two main characters and the challenges they faced is presented well. There is also a subtle mention about mental health and reconciliation. Perhaps another great idea that I found in the show was the fact that sometimes ideas can be born before their time.