Re: [Patents] Software Patents: The Patent Trap

[Bernard Lang <Bernard.Lang@inria.fr>]

Bullshit ...

and you know it 


On Thu, Feb 21, 2002 at 09:14:51PM -0500, Gregory Aharonian wrote:
> An idiotic article.  For example,
> >What if at the very same time she wrote her program, another company
> >filed patent applications on the very same processes and algorithms
> >she used?
> 
> Tough luck.  A chemist inventing a new chemical has to worry about the
> same threat, another company filing a patent application first on the
> same chemical or chemical process.  A biologist inventing a new
> biotech process has to worry about the same threat, another company
> filing a patent application first on the same biotech material or
> process.  Same for the electronics engineer, designing a new circuit.
> What happens if someone files patent applications on the same circuit
> first?
> 
> So all this lame example proves is that software is yet one more
> technical industry that has to deal with the promises and perils
> of patents.  There is nothing special or holy about software -
> just another technology to be patented.
> 
> Problems? Sure. Problems with patent quality, problems with the costs
> of patent litigation.  But problems shared by biologists, chemists,
> electrical engineers, software engineers, etc.  Software people just
> cry about it more.  Solution.  Improve the quality of issued patents
> (a solvable problem) and lower the costs of using the legal process
> to correct the mistakes that do issue (a less solvable problem).
> 
> But if you are going to attack software patents, come up with a less
> pathetic analogy.
> 
> Greg Aharonian

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