Either you didn't read the article, or you are deliberately knocking down straw men for a seemingly bizarre reason.
RMS laid out EXACTLY the points you've described; that hardware & circuits can be patented, but the circuit topology cannot be copyrighted.
I think the idea that Dr. Stallman is writing about is a framework for sharing designs and collaborating that has the potential to grow into a thriving free hardware ecosystem.
It seems you may feel threatened by such a development, but for the reasons you outlined, it may not be a threat. I suppose however that having public repositories of innovative hardware designs could make it harder to obtain patents if it turns out that prior art was posted and timestamped on the Internet.
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it." - Upton Sinclair
RMS laid out EXACTLY the points you've described; that hardware & circuits can be patented, but the circuit topology cannot be copyrighted.
I think the idea that Dr. Stallman is writing about is a framework for sharing designs and collaborating that has the potential to grow into a thriving free hardware ecosystem.
It seems you may feel threatened by such a development, but for the reasons you outlined, it may not be a threat. I suppose however that having public repositories of innovative hardware designs could make it harder to obtain patents if it turns out that prior art was posted and timestamped on the Internet.
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it." - Upton Sinclair