A UK judge has questioned whether software patents should be granted, and has criticized the U.S. for allowing "anything under the sun" to be patented. Sir Robin Jacob, a judge at the UK's Court of Appeal who specializes in intellectual-property law, spoke about the potential problems surrounding software patents at a seminar for the Society for Computers and Law on Thursday evening in London. "Do we need patents for computer programs? Where is the evidence for it?" Jacob asked.
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Member since:
2005-07-06
The only ones who would advocate software patents are:
1) Fools who are ignorant of the facts
2) Those that have a self interest in making money from them (IE you are a big bussiness/shareholder or a patent troll)
3) Are a corrupt individual who has been bought by no. 2
Safe to say, any decent Judge would not be in any of the above so yeah its totally unsurprising that he takes that view.
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I had to laugh when I read the judges thoughts, where he compared this to putting a patent on
"a new way of stacking oranges in a barrel."
it is true, if someone in corporate US tried this, they would probably get it.
I have said it once before here and I will say it again....
You cannot patent an idea - You cannot patent a thought.
The US needs to learn this, or they will get left behind by the rest of the IT world.
Member since:2005-08-10
"You cannot patent an idea - You cannot patent a thought."
Poorly chosen wording, as well, you can (and the US corporations are masters of this). This is not to say that I disagree with the point I assume you were trying to make. In my own small and insignificant opinion, patents (in all areas, not just software patents) do far more harm than good.
What we have implemented is a system that attempts to make prisons for the mind, by treating thoughts and ideas as if they were limited physical resources to be hoarded and fought over and controlled.
It is a sad and twisted affair, that only serves to maintain the wealth and power of those who have the material resources to maintain these artificial monopolies.
Farmers being sued for having genetically modified crops aquired accidentally due to being downwind of Monsanto (one of the world's greatests evils), companies being sued because someone has a patent on a given "business process." Medicines that could save millions not seeing the light of day because the royalties the producers would have to pay to some company or other who themselves were merely building upon the work of countless others.
Lawyers, Insurance salespeople, and Politicians are the lowest forms of Human life, and yet they are the ones with power over the world. Power gained in no small part by creating artificial condidtions, and forcing the masses to walk within those constructs. And we as a whole, allow it.
Member since:2005-07-06
