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Patent Reform Bill Unable To Clean Up Patent Mess

Posted by Zonk on from the need-a-rake-and-a-hose dept.

First to submit writes "Ars Technica analyzes the Patent Reform Act that has passed the House and is being debated in the Senate. Unfortunately for those longing for real, meaningful patent reform, the bill comes up short in some significant ways. 'Despite the heated rhetoric on both sides, it is unclear if the legislation will do much to fix the most serious flaws in the patent system. A series of appeals court rulings in the 1990s greatly expanded patentable subject matter, making patents on software, business methods, and other abstract concepts unambiguously legal for the first time.'"

3 of 92 comments (clear)

  1. To be fair... by Starteck81 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... it is kind of hard to legislate common sense.

    --
    "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order." -Ed H
    1. Re:To be fair... by Jarjarthejedi · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Especially when it doesn't seem all that common to the legislators. Software patents being silly doesn't seem like common sense to someone for whom software is the magical system that does all sorts of handy things via some system. It seems very patentable then...

      --
      There are two kinds of fool One says 'This is old therefore good' Another says 'This is new therefore better'- Dean Ing
  2. Re:Do we really need patents? by glwtta · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Huh? The solution to patent and copyright problems is infinitely broad and permanent patents and copyright?

    I don't see why they can't just write a law establishing that you own your ideas

    How on earth can someone "own" an idea? Better yet, why would you think it's a good idea to try to pretend that someone owns an idea?

    Patents and copyrights are intended to prevent people from free-loading off of the work of others

    That fundamental misunderstanding is part of many of the problems we are seeing with the patent system today: patents exist to give you the first stab at exploiting your ideas. The notion that once someone has an idea it's theirs and no one can ever use it again is just plain ridiculous.

    --
    sic transit gloria mundi