[Patents] Re: Patents digest, Vol 1 #478 - 9 msgs

[epa98@doc.ic.ac.uk (Edward Avis)]

On Sun, 6 May 2001 patents-request@liberte.aful.org wrote:

>From: "Ronald J Riley" <rjriley@rjriley.com>
>Subject: [Patents] Re: Software and Technical effect

>Beyond that, I think that a patent which claimed both hardware and
>software implementations would be much stronger than one which only
>shows software examples.

Sure.  But would it be in the public interest for the goverment to grant
such a stronger type of patent?  There are plenty of ways to strengthen
the patent system, as with copyright, but not all of them are
economically beneficial.

We accept a limited level of taxation as a necessary part of the
government's functions.  It does not follow that more ('stronger')
taxation is necessarily better.

>As to the arguments, which seem to be taking on an increasingly petty
>tone, that software should not be patentable.  Well I note that those
>who make such arguments are virtually always those who copy and not
>those who really create.

I'm a software developer, I think most people on this list are.  Are
you?

It is debatable whether creating extra layers of lawsuits and red tape
really helps people to 'create' anything.

-- 
Ed Avis
epa98@doc.ic.ac.uk