Linked by Eugenia Loli-Queru on Sat 15th May 2004 08:23 UTC
It is when I read articles like this that I have "my blood all going up to my head" (that's a Greek saying for people that get angry). So apparently, Apple is trying to patent "transparent windows that do a certain action after fading away". While I don't personally find this "innovation/invention" patentable, it's fine with me: Apple is doing the best it can to secure its business (maybe I would do the same if I had shareholders on my back).
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small software companies and open source software will thrive on countries that are not plagued by the patent nightmare
How are small software companies doing in Brasil?
I can tell you how they are doing in Russia: not that well.
Two profitable areas of Russian software business, both are not even close to what Miguel expects:
1. Code for foreign (US, European) companies- those with software patents.
2. Provide niche localized software for a local market, like accounting for Russian business, with very strong copy protection to prevent software 'sharing.'
By the way, second option only lately became stable profitable business for Russian companies, after Russian government started to enforce copyright laws, and crack down on software sharerers.
Something tells me that these profitable Russian companies do not consider switching to OSS, where sharing is legit, expected and facilitated.
Something also tells me that profitable Russian software companies would be more than happy to have software patents enforced similarly to USA.
They are happy when masked men with machine guns raid locations of so-called software pirates. No, it is for real: machine guns. That's not America, no jokes. If government wants something to happen, government makes it happen.
Something also tells me that unprofitable Russian software companies can not make profit by stealing money from investors (like some OSS embraced companies in USA), hiding cost of software in cost of hardware (again, USA), or by offering consulting and support for obscene costs (once more, USA).
Simply because education levels in Russia are high and salaries are low- people can support themselves and small businesses for a very low fee.
Also, because stock market is not very much developed and often treated as a ponzi scheme (which it is for many companies).
Finally, because Russia is not used to buy bundles: you can buy hardware one place and get software other place. That's why you can't hide cost of software in cost of hardware.
For countries like Russia, and I would guess, Brasil, the only profitable software business is to sell software. The way to achieve it: to make sure business is protected by laws preventing competition to steal ideas and criminals to pirate software.
May be copyright and patents are not the best way to do that, by no better solution had been presented.