[SC.LUG] Re: Patents

[David Holden]

On Monday 18 Aug 2003 1:36 pm, Matthew Tolley wrote:
> > Patents can stifle innovation because of incompetent patent office. This
>
> is a
>
> > particular problem with software. Because patent offices have neither the
> > expertise or resources to establish if an applied for patent is new and
> > innovative leading them tp routinely give out silly patents. The result
> > is that large multinationals who can afford to try and patent anything
> > and everything create large patent libaries which they then use/abuse
> > against small (innovative) software companies who cannot afford to fight
> > a patent infringment claim.
>
> Do you have any examples?
>
> I'm against government interference generally, but I've always been
> pro-patents hitherto.

You might want to read this article for an example of what I'm talking about, 
this is how IBM dealt with a (then small) company called SUN.


http://www.forbes.com/asap/2002/0624/044_print.html

this PDF gives a more thorough treatment of the problem.

http://petition.eurolinux.org/reference/noepatents.pdf

    Dave.


-- 
Dr. David Holden. (Systems Developer)

Visit: Crystallography Journals Online <http://journals.iucr.org>

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