Linked by Thom Holwerda on Tue 19th Sep 2006 21:19 UTC
An effort by the Open Source Development Labs to help developers defend themselves against software patents has come under fire from FSF founder Richard Stallman, who believes that the plan could backfire. The controversy centers on the issue of patents on software processes, which many believe could threaten the future of open-source software and software innovation in general. Because software processes are abstract, critics say such patents effectively let companies monopolize ideas, without which software can't be developed.
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Member since:
2005-12-31
from TFA:
> Stallman argues that the workshop focused on the wrong
> issues and that low-quality patents--those for which
> prior art exists and which shouldn't have been issued
> in the first place--aren't the main problem.
They are not only a great problem, but also a great chance. While "Open Source as Prior Art" ensures that prior art is recognized when it exists, another project could collect patents in areas where no prior art exists and where F/OSS projects made the first inventions. This would put real pressure on companies trying to enter the same area, and provide a certain amount of safety (since nobody really wants the nuclear patent war to break out).