[Patents] Let's compete against PTO's

[Thomas Netter tnetter@lnb.cnrs-mrs.fr]

Thank you very much Greg for your post. Quite an eye opener.

Considering most current patents on software are worthless if you
don't have the bucks to defend them in court (or to put it
differently: The patent's purpose is to make good use of lawyers),
shouldn't the computer science community brace itself and establish a
parallel system which would compete against the PTOs? 

Let's face it: the Computer Science community has a good background in
peer reviewing (that's an understatement!), knows how to make good use
of the Internet (you bet!), has plenty of valuable students to feed,
and would definitely make good use of the $$$ spent on patent
applications. 

Computer scientists unite: Let's create the International Software
Patents Organization. If we can review papers for free then we should
be able to do the same for bucks! There are enough CS people in the
world to make it a well distributed process so as to avoid overload or
specialization of certain "scientists". And I'm sure there are enough
competent lawyers on the net who'd be delighted to participate in the
peer review process.

A "technically reinforced patent" which would be approved by the ISPO
would receive far more credit than one obtained through the current
PTO system.

-Thomas