From srctran@world.std.com  Wed Dec 20 20:50:11 2000
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 15:50:11 -0500 (EST)
From: Gregory Aharonian srctran@world.std.com
Subject: [Patents] regulation draft proposal: revision

Aren't you exaggerating way too much, especially with no statistics:
>
>  .. whose monopolization would create problems unparalleled in the
>  .. conventional purely technical field
>

That is nonsense.  Purely technical fields have had major problems
of monopolization due to patents over the last hundred years.  In
that sense, even at its worse, software patenting is absolutely
no different.  Where are these horrible disruptions to the software
industry?  I see none.  Regular disruptions, sure, but the same
type of disruptions that appear in all other industries and
technologies.  None of this exaggerated "unparalleled" stuff.

I track all sorts of litigation and damages for all fields of
patenting, including software.  For the most part, the effects of
software patents is hard to differentiate than the effects of
other technology patents.

So show me some real economic data, of large sectors of the
software industry being forced out of business, or losing
large amounts of money, because of software patents.  And be
able to factor out the much bigger impact of the movements of
the stock markets and other factors.

You exaggerate a problem that does not exist - the good and bad
effects of software patents are indistinguishable from patents 
in other industries and technologies.  So show me the numbers.

Greg Aharonian




