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EU Software Patent War Ignites Again
pieterh writes "ZDNet UK has a detailed article on the heating-up of the software patent debate in Europe. A new motion before the European Parliament calls for a harmonised patent court (EPLA) that would be able to enforce software patents across Europe. This comes just 15 months after the EP rejected the infamous Computer Implemented Inventions directive." From the article: "Patents on software are formally disallowed under the European patent system, but are routinely granted by the European patent office, according to critics. They are currently difficult to enforce in many EU member states, something critics say would be changed by the failed software patent directive, and now by the EPLA. Software patents are generally considered to add to the legal costs of large enterprises, as well as creating a hostile legal environment for smaller software businesses and open source projects."
Ah, remember the good old days with patent and copyright law was crafted to ENCOURAGE innovation and PROTECT creative work, rather than STIFLE competition and REWARD petty lawsuits? No? Well, me neither, but I've seen the footprints in the woods.
"Don't you know you're going to shock the monkey?"- Peter Gabriel
It's too bad that I can't patent a political process by which ridiculous laws are passed by clueless people. I'd be the richest man in the universe.
Insisting on "correct" English is like saying that there is only one, definitive recipe for chili.
Patents on software are formally disallowed under the European patent system, but are routinely granted by the European patent office, according to critics. They are currently difficult to enforce in many EU member states,...
You mean member states aren't willing to enforce patents that aren't allowed to be granted in the first place? What is this world coming to?
All we want to do is create a harmonised patent court. Let a thousand, nay, a thousand thousand voices sing in unison the beauteous virtues of the patent.
Join me, my children.
Won'drous pa-tent fill'd with light
Bless'd be thine en-dur-ing sight
Yield thine cof-fers 'fore my suit
Ren-der o-thers' ef-forts moot.
Righ-teous pa-tent guard these joys
Lest a-no-ther have such toys
Hold for me mine right-ful worth
All these thoughts u-pon this Earth.
Beau-teous pa-tent for mine good
As an in-verse Ro-bin Hood
Suck-le-ing at Na-ture's teat
Strike down those who would com-pete.
Holy pa-tent bol-ster us
Though thine claims be ob-vi-ous
Jud-ges ab-sent nigh a clue
Shall
- be - the - ones - to - up-hold - you -
the problem, which you seem to acknowledge, of patents being completely useless to SMALL business
I acknowledged no such thing. I think patents can be quite useful for small businesses. My point is simply that all the rage directed at software patents in particular is somewhat misplaced.
Look, in an ideal world, small businesses would be able to sue big businesses to their heart's content. But in the real world, some people have more money than others. Unavoidable fact.
That doesn't mean that patents should be abolished entirely. It's just a variation of the old saying, "Democracy is the worst kind of government... except for all the others." Patents are the worst way of protecting intellectual property... except for all the others.