LinuxDefenders.org Launches To Fight Patent Trolls

eldavojohn writes "The Linux Defenders Network is a new organization sponsored by the Open Invention Network, the Software Freedom Law Center, and The Linux Foundation to help the community defend itself against patent trolls. Three models, or 'IP rights management tools,' are offered: Peer to Patent, Post-Issue Peer to Patent, and Defensive Publications. Mich Kabay's article in NetworkWorld cites an all-too-familiar incident from December, when General Patent Corp. announced it was working on behalf of Worlds.com to sue everyone — this probably could have been avoided with a little prior art help from the community. From the organization's about page: 'We encourage contributions from anyone that is interested in ensuring that innovation is not stifled by poor quality patents and is interested in assisting the patent office in its goal of improving the overall quality of patents.' Are these guys saviors arriving in the nick of time, or just another hopeless community effort to rein in the failing patent system?"

Comments

"hopeless community effort", I'm afraid

[alain94040]

A great initiative on paper, but I doubt it will lead to much. As someone who wrote a patent more than a decade ago and had the pleasure of being sued by my ex-employer (using my patents against me - nice), I can attest to the craziness of claim construction and other esoteric legal arguments.

Unlike coding as a group, which gave us Linux, creating meaningful and valid prior art is both harder and much less rewarding. That's why I doubt it can get enough contributors to make a difference.

Can't we just force the patent examiners to use Google search instead?

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Re:"hopeless community effort", I'm afraid

[Jurily]

That's why I doubt it can get enough contributors to make a difference.

As always, there is another solution: Let the US sink to wherever they feel comfortable, move to another country with no patent laws, and live happily ever after. Of course, said plan fails if you're in the US and don't want to move, and the new country should be heavily guarded against such tendencies...

However, given the current situation, I personally think this is the most viable route. Unless of course Obama turns out to be smarter than his campaign contributors.

Troll me if you want, but ask yourself: is a system where ideas can be monopolized, livable? It's not the idea, but the implementation, that adds value and takes work to achieve.

Also, take into account the fact that Free Software has no jurisdiction. People from all over the world are contributing, and they're not going to stop because one country acts stupid.

Didn't read the summary

[77Punker]

Hope this turns out better than Windows Defender!

Re:Hurray?

[larry bagina]

Microsoft.

Re:Great... help the patent trolls to get stronger

[mercutioviz]

I suppose it depends on how "stronger" and "higher quality" are defined. If "higher quality" means much narrower claims, fewer or no patents on mathematics and algorithms, or the holy grail of no software patents at all, then I'm all for it. A "stronger" patent may actually be "weaker" in that it is so narrow and focused that it loses value for the patent troll, who by definition wants broad and vague patents so that he can "sue everyone" in hopes of a settlement.