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France To Launch a National Patent Troll

Posted by samzenpus on from the got-to-get-them-all dept.

zoobab writes "France is creating a state sponsored patent fund, FranceBrevets, which primary focus will be to sponsor, acquire and license patents in the ICT (read software patents) sector. The patent fund is at the initiative of the minister of Research, Valérie Pécresse, the Ministry of Industry, Energy and digital economy, Eric Besson. The primary target of the fund is to collect licenses on those patents, which is already seen in France as the biggest patent troll of the country. France is also supporting the European Unitary Patent, which is seen by many at the final attempt to validate software patents in Europe."

7 of 179 comments (clear)

  1. Godwin by Hazel+Bergeron · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You remember the Third Reich? Get rid of the racism and the sense of urgency, and you basically have the EU in a couple of decades. If I think of the number of freedoms I've lost both this and that side of the Pond since 1995, I wonder whether it's immoral to carry on being productive.

    1. Re:Godwin by phantomfive · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Ayn Rand's philosophy is so annoying because it is partly correct, partly idiotic......on the one hand, yes, it's a good idea to take care of yourself and not be a 'leech' on society.......on the other hand, she was so opposed to charity to a ridiculous degree. Really, sometimes people are down, and you don't have to kick them. It won't destroy society if you help them out a bit.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    2. Re:Godwin by captain_sweatpants · · Score: 3, Insightful

      uh...I'm sorry that you lack an understanding of hypocrisy

  2. Finality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    France is also supporting the European Unitary Patent, which is seen by many at the final attempt to validate software patents in Europe.

    Correction : this will only be the final attempt if it succeeds. Otherwise, stand by for many more.

  3. Shrug? by medcalf · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Well, given that we (in the US) currently have a government that thinks "Atlas Shrugged" is a great story about how to run a railroad, I suppose it will be a while before stuff like this gets sorted out. And it probably won't be pleasant.

    --
    -- Two men say they're Jesus. One of them must be wrong. - Dire Straits
  4. Don't politicians learn? by Teun · · Score: 5, Insightful
    It really makes you wonder under what stone these politicians live.

    The whole world witnesses the stagnation to software development caused by the incessant court battles about software patents in the USofA and then they want a similar system!

    But then most of them are probably lawyers by trade so they see opportunities...

    Lets hope other nations like the Germans can stop this nonsense taking hold in EU legislation.

    --
    "The likes of Facebook and WhatsApp are free to those whose privacy is of zero value."
  5. Re:Welcome to 1984 by medcalf · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Of course not, but tyranny is tyranny, and tyrants act like tyrants. When you give them control, they grab for more. Europe and the US are both heading down this slope, which will have a bad end if not reversed.

    --
    -- Two men say they're Jesus. One of them must be wrong. - Dire Straits