[SWLUG] anti-software patents

[Neil Jones]

On Monday 29 November 2004 12:02, Dick Bain wrote:
> Hi peeps
> I have hustled my MP and have been assured that I do have an invite to
> the DTI "Presentation" on European software patents! So now I need some
> serious priming as to the arguments!
> I have been looking at stuff on http://swpat.ffii.org/index.en.html but
> any extra ammo welcomed
> hwl
> Dick
> _______________________________________________
> SWLUG Discussion List - Discuss at swlug.org.uk
> http://list.swlug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/discuss

There is an interesting scientific paper at.

http://www.researchoninnovation.org/patent.pdf

You may care to quote it. 


However, one of the best arguments I have heard was the simple one expounded 
by Alan Cox at the last LUG meeting I attended in Swansea.

I was asking him what the rebuttal was to the bumf from the Govt over this 
stuff. They are claiming that what will be patentable will only be that which 
it truely innovative therefore there will be no problem.

Alan's argument was simple. He said basically that there will always be issues 
that are debatable and it would be upto the courts to decide. This is 
expensive. Therefore the little guy would be at a disadvantage.
He quoted a patent dispute over Dyson's vacuum cleaner technology with Hoover
and saif that Hoover had designed the lawsuit with the maxiumum cost so as to 
try to bankrupt Dyson.

Put it simply Software patents enable legal action over creation of code and 
are therefore anti-inovative.

If you also want to find out how patents make things look complicated look at.

http://linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2000-05-26-004-04-OP-LF


-- 
--
Neil Jones- Neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk http://www.butterflyguy.com/
"At some point I had to stand up and be counted. Who speaks for the
butterflies?" Andrew Lees - The quotation on his memorial at Crymlyn Bog
National Nature Reserve.