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Ordinary Skill In The Art

Posted by michael on from the black-belt-in-CS dept.

ClarkEvans writes: "Jeffrey D. Ullman, professor at Stanford University and famous contributor to the excellent Dragon Book, writes about software patents in his paper, Ordinary Skill in the Art. He has some very serious analysis here; I hope Congress reads up." It's intended for computer scientists rather than Congress, and it looks like he has some good ideas.

1 of 62 comments (clear)

  1. LEGO blocks and patents by omarius · · Score: 5
    I think of software patents as things built out of LEGO blocks. We all have the same blocks, and the same potentially infinite number of ways to assemble them.

    Is it possible to think of a truly novel way to fit them together?

    I made something never made before!
    Well, of course you did. Like the author's example of the programming assignment -- everyone will do it a little differently.

    I found new ways to put blocks together!
    Like, by gluing the flat sides together. Is that useful? Probably. Our lawyers will have to look into it.

    I used a mold and some plastic and invented a new block!
    You did? Congratulations! It probably deserves a patent, let's check the literature to be sure. . .

    Metaphors R us,

    -Omar