One of the Patentbaristas has talked a little bit about the link between innovation and patents. I have also been thinking about the correlation as well.
Tag: Software Patents
OSS Beginning to See The Light on Patents?
This article on ZD Net says that Red Hat and Open Source Developers Labs are looking to finance OSS developer’s efforts at obtaining patents. The patents would presumably be put into a patent pool to protect against potential patent suits.
This is a brilliant move.
This article on ZD Net says that Red Hat and Open Source Developers Labs are looking to finance OSS developer’s efforts at obtaining patents. The patents would presumably be put into a patent pool to protect against potential patent suits.
This is a brilliant move.
Is Open Source Good for the Economy?
A week or so ago, I had lunch with a client who develops software, much of it based on Linux. I asked for his opinion on Open Source Software and software patents.
He was of the feeling that nothing innovative has come from Open Source Software, nor will it ever. He cited several examples, including Linux, where a viable and useful piece of commercial software had been rewritten by OSS developers and released for free.
Where is the advancement of technology when OSS developers are spending their time rewriting code that already exists in commercial packages?
A week or so ago, I had lunch with a client who develops software, much of it based on Linux. I asked for his opinion on Open Source Software and software patents.
He was of the feeling that nothing innovative has come from Open Source Software, nor will it ever. He cited several examples, including Linux, where a viable and useful piece of commercial software had been rewritten by OSS developers and released for free.
Where is the advancement of technology when OSS developers are spending their time rewriting code that already exists in commercial packages?
High Cost of European Patents Does Not Help Matters
I can certainly sympathize with one argument of the anti-software patent movement: the astronomical cost for protecting an idea in Europe is a huge factor against software patents.
Here in the US, an average person with a good idea can get patent coverage across the whole US for $5,000-10,000. While this is a substantial sum, it pales in comparison to the $50,000 or more that similar coverage would cost to cover most of Europe. In the US, the average Joe who has an invention, no matter how well off he is, can pretty much always scrape together enough money to get a patent. In Europe, it is impossibly far out of his reach.
I can certainly sympathize with one argument of the anti-software patent movement: the astronomical cost for protecting an idea in Europe is a huge factor against software patents.
Here in the US, an average person with a good idea can get patent coverage across the whole US for $5,000-10,000. While this is a substantial sum, it pales in comparison to the $50,000 or more that similar coverage would cost to cover most of Europe. In the US, the average Joe who has an invention, no matter how well off he is, can pretty much always scrape together enough money to get a patent. In Europe, it is impossibly far out of his reach.
EU Vote Kills Software Patent Legislation, But Is It Good for Innovation?
Yesterday, the European Parliament killed the “software patents directive,” which was a directive initially intended to permit “computer implemented inventions,” but was burdened with some 28 amendments. All of the anti-software patents activists united against the directive and succeeded in killing it. The Financial Times has a good story here.
The funny thing is that they hailed it as “European Parliament says no to software patents, yes to innovation.” But did it really?
Yesterday, the European Parliament killed the “software patents directive,” which was a directive initially intended to permit “computer implemented inventions,” but was burdened with some 28 amendments. All of the anti-software patents activists united against the directive and succeeded in killing it. The Financial Times has a good story here.
The funny thing is that they hailed it as “European Parliament says no to software patents, yes to innovation.” But did it really?
Open Source Supporter Shows How Patents Force Innovation
A very pragmatic article by an anti-software patent activist shows exactly how the patent system forces innovation to happen.
The article in News Forge, the Online Newspaper for Linux and Open Source explains exactly how the open source community will handle the threat of software patents.
A very pragmatic article by an anti-software patent activist shows exactly how the patent system forces innovation to happen.
The article in News Forge, the Online Newspaper for Linux and Open Source explains exactly how the open source community will handle the threat of software patents.
The Biggest Issue with Patent Reform
The biggest issue I have with Patent Reform, including the activists in Europe, is that many of the positions taken by groups are based on a very short time frame, especially when the effects are extremely long-term.
The biggest issue I have with Patent Reform, including the activists in Europe, is that many of the positions taken by groups are based on a very short time frame, especially when the effects are extremely long-term.
Anti-Software Patent Movement and The Big Patent-Owning Software Companies on the Same Side?
Reading Dennis Crouch’s comments about patent reform in the US kind of shows how out of touch the anti-software patent movement really is.
Dennis sees three factions, with large software companies pushing for a weaker patent system, Big Pharma pushing for a stronger system, and independent inventors and small companies wanting the status quo.
Did I say that large software companies want a weaker patent system? Isn’t that the mantra of FFII, allegedly in the name of small businesses, rallying against the big software companies? Are they on the same side?
Reading Dennis Crouch’s comments about patent reform in the US kind of shows how out of touch the anti-software patent movement really is.
Dennis sees three factions, with large software companies pushing for a weaker patent system, Big Pharma pushing for a stronger system, and independent inventors and small companies wanting the status quo.
Did I say that large software companies want a weaker patent system? Isn’t that the mantra of FFII, allegedly in the name of small businesses, rallying against the big software companies? Are they on the same side?
Patenting VisiCalc
Back in the early 1980’s as a teenage pomological engineer in Connecticut, I had a chance to participate in a demonstration of VisiCalc, one of the most revolutionary software products ever.
Back in the early 1980’s as a teenage pomological engineer in Connecticut, I had a chance to participate in a demonstration of VisiCalc, one of the most revolutionary software products ever.
FFII and nosoftwarepatents.com to Join
In a disappointing announcement this morning, FFII and nosoftwarepatents.com are joining forces. While I am not a big fan of the whole movement, I have been pleasantly surprised by some comments posted on this blog by some FFII members. After peeling away a thin veneer of rhetoric, most of the comments by FFII members have tried to make a reasonable, logical, and well thought out points (even if I don’t agree with all of them).
In a disappointing announcement this morning, FFII and nosoftwarepatents.com are joining forces. While I am not a big fan of the whole movement, I have been pleasantly surprised by some comments posted on this blog by some FFII members. After peeling away a thin veneer of rhetoric, most of the comments by FFII members have tried to make a reasonable, logical, and well thought out points (even if I don’t agree with all of them).
