New Zealand Set To Prohibit Software Patents

Drishmung writes "The New Zealand Commerce Minister Craig Foss today (9 May 2013) announced a significant change to the Patents Bill currently before parliament, replacing the earlier amendment with far clearer law and re-affirming that software really will be unpatentable in New Zealand. An article on the Institute of IT Professionals web site by IT Lawyer Guy Burgess looks at the the bill and what it means, with reference to the law in other parts of the world such as the USA, Europe and Britain (which is slightly different from the EU situation)."

Comments

FOSS?

[Dantoo]

The guys name is FOSS! Sorry it's late. Hehehe.

Re:FOSS?

[shikaisi]

Hey, if one guy in New Zealand can call himself Kim Dotcom, what's wrong with the Commerce Minister calling himself Craig Foss? I understand that other members of the NZ government are already planning to change their names to Nathan Gnu, Nikki KayeDE, Hekia Pirate and that the Prime Minister will in future use his middle name in official business so that he will be called John Control Key.

Re:Ttitle is misleading

[K. S. Kyosuke]

Actually, I'd expect the US government to become heavily involved in this. They've been pushing copyright and IP laws on trading partners via treaties under threat of sanctions.

Yes, but the New Zealandese have already anticipated US the US moves by declaring a nuclear-weapons-free zone in and around NZ ages ago.