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Letter To Abolish Software Patents In Australia

Posted by kdawson on from the five-hundred-nerds-can't-be-wrong dept.

Ben Sturmfels writes "Over 500 members of the Australian software industry have have signed an open letter urging their government to abolish software patents. Signatories include free software luminaries Andrew Tridgell and Jonathan Oxer. In 2008 the Australian government began a Review of Patentable Subject Matter. While we missed the 2009 public consultation period, we hope to influence the government's response to the Review, due in February 2011. The letter will be presented to Minister Kim Carr in early August."

9 of 166 comments (clear)

  1. I don't understand this.. by h7 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I don't know the Australian rationale but I wonder when Americans discuss the need for patents and copyrights. Why do content creators want to abolish patents? America is rich today because of patents and copyrights. If every second guy could rip off a great idea, we'd have nothing left to offer. We cannot compete on prices. The innovation and creativity of Americans is what has made US powerful. Why would you want to create a law that will affect your livelihood in the future? The rest of the world is just waiting for something like this to happen. I don't get it.

    1. Re:I don't understand this.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      But if narrow patents and 15-year copyright helped the USA become an economic power, surely broader patents and longer copyright terms will help even more, no? You have to argue why the relationship is not linear.

    2. Re:I don't understand this.. by 91degrees · · Score: 4, Interesting

      It's about balance. Patent protection provides an incentive to produce something new, but makes it a lot harder to improve an existing invention since you need to patent holders approval to actually produce the improved invention.

      Looking at the evidence, it seems very few companies make money licencing patented software, and usuallly simply use their patents protectively, using a patent sharing agreement which effectively bars small players from the market. Without patents it seems quite clear that innovation in software would not be harmed since there is still an incentive to innovate since the short time to market of software still gives the innovator a competitive edge.

    3. Re:I don't understand this.. by c0lo · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Why do content creators want to abolish patents?

      Because for content creation, copyright should be more than enough already? What, the free and the brave started to feel the pinch of fear?
      (and yes, software is a copyrightable content, as - by itself - it doesn't transform the machine it's running on, much less transform it in a useful way).

      We cannot compete on prices.

      1. Then invent some other means to compete. For example: a head-start is usually enough to get ahead of the competitions.
        Also, there exists something like trade secrets - if staying rich is what you want, this should be enough for you, just don't be a hypocrite to say "I'll publish my discovery for the benefit of the human race advancement"
      2. And what about me that find rewards in writing open-source and don't give a ... of prices. Why your right to feel happy of being rich would trump mine - for creating something useful used by many. Assuming that I discover something that parts of this humanity might benefit, implementing it in open-source will give everybody an easy access to use the discovery immediately.
        (if this sounds too commie/pinky to you, here's my opinion: I DO NOT GIVE A DAMN on what you call it - as a content creator it is my right to do as I please with my content - the content didn't kill anyone)
      --
      Questions raise, answers kill. Raise questions to stay alive.
    4. Re:I don't understand this.. by QuantumG · · Score: 2, Interesting

      There's a thing called creative commons.. in fact, the film itself is under a creative commons license.

      --
      How we know is more important than what we know.
    5. Re:I don't understand this.. by dargaud · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Effectively it creates blocks on economic activity

      One famous example are toll roads. During the roman empire there were no toll roads and commerce flourished within the empire. After its collapse and the feudal states, every little road or bridge had a toll booth. It stopped commerce as long distance transportation of goods was simply too expensive. There's one good example of that in Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle: the most powerful king of Europe (Louis XIV) could purchase excellent wood for shipbuilding... but he couldn't afford to pay the tolls to carry it from the forests to the shipyards.

      --
      Non-Linux Penguins ?
  2. Patently Obvious... by muphin · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I actually own several IP's of several software technologies. The only reason I registered these was to secure my work (from someone stealing it then suing me, the creator), I am actually FOR the removal of software patents, this removal will stop the fear of being sued over something so trivial and encourage creativity and innovation, something the world is so desperate in need of.

    I am so ashamed of countries that extend the copyrights far beyond whats reasonable just to ensure they can keep making money off it.
    I Just signed the letter and will pass it on, I hope you do the same.

    --
    It's not a typo if you understood the meaning!
  3. Re:Timing? by countertrolling · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Go for the Greens? I don't think so.. Not as long as they harbor people like this..

    --
    For justice, we must go to Don Corleone
  4. Re:"Members"? by Hairy1 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    And yet in New Zealand we won despite starting with a similar grass roots movement, starting with the NZOSS, and finally encompassing a number of influential companies and computer organisations. We were calm, rational, and presented the a persuasive case that software patents damage the IT sector, and polls that clearly showed that patents were not supported by a large majority of the IT industry. Our strength isn't just in their numbers but in a compelling case that software patents are holding the industry to ransom. The Australian IT industry has every chance of creating change, but it could be a long hard road to success. There are organisations in Australia which will no doubt have this on their radar, and will be moving to provide more support for a software patent exclusion.

    The following YouTube video was produced from the NZOSS submission to the New Zealand Government for their review into the Patent Bill.

    NZOSS Patent Submission
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-3H0t-Jgdo