I like that this list has an interesting mix of standard and non-standard EA causes.
I’m curious about software patent reform. I haven’t looked into it at all but my naive guess is that it’s not nearly as cost-effective as something like farm animal advocacy or global health. What makes you think it’s sufficiently effective to make it one of your favorite causes?
I think you are right in the sense that farm animal advocacy and global health have much more room for additional funding.
One reason I’m interested in software patent abolition strategies is that they are neglected by funders. While there a decent amount of funding for incremental software patent reform, there is almost no funding available to significantly reduce the patentability of software.
I’d guess that around $250k/year can support “low hanging fruit” strategies towards advocating for reducing software patentability. I’d expect these efforts to have 1% probability of significantly reducing software patent litigation by, say, 50%. If we think litigation costs around $20 billion a year, then the expected value would about $100 million a year. I’m unsure I’d advocate for funding over $250k/year at this time—I think additional funding would be better spent on animals or global health.
I like that this list has an interesting mix of standard and non-standard EA causes.
I’m curious about software patent reform. I haven’t looked into it at all but my naive guess is that it’s not nearly as cost-effective as something like farm animal advocacy or global health. What makes you think it’s sufficiently effective to make it one of your favorite causes?
I think you are right in the sense that farm animal advocacy and global health have much more room for additional funding.
One reason I’m interested in software patent abolition strategies is that they are neglected by funders. While there a decent amount of funding for incremental software patent reform, there is almost no funding available to significantly reduce the patentability of software.
I’d guess that around $250k/year can support “low hanging fruit” strategies towards advocating for reducing software patentability. I’d expect these efforts to have 1% probability of significantly reducing software patent litigation by, say, 50%. If we think litigation costs around $20 billion a year, then the expected value would about $100 million a year. I’m unsure I’d advocate for funding over $250k/year at this time—I think additional funding would be better spent on animals or global health.
Givewell has a good overview of software patent reform.