Re: [Patents] US patent reform strategy inaugurated by myths & lies

[Gregory Aharonian <srctran@world.std.com>]

>Tons of computer programs exist *now* only because swpatents have
>existed for a short period of time, and because they are not allowed
>in many countries.

Nonsense.  The bigggest software marketplace is the United States, and
swpatents have existed for over thirty years in the United States
without any significant retarding effect on the development of new
software (at least, no more of a retarding effect then the effects of
patents in other industries).  Open source companies are suffering to
any extent here, not because of patents, but because of bad business
models.

The second biggest software market is probably Japan, and software 
patents have existed there for over twenty years, again with no
significant retarding effect (again as compared to the effects of
patents in other Japanese industries, and in light of the stifling
economic policies of the Japanese government).

Those running software business have little to fear from patents,
other than problems every other industry faces with regards to 
patents - once again, a reason why software is an industry like
any other.  Those writing software for non-business reasons have
nothing to fear about software patents, except the paranoid
fantasies they like to dream up.

Greg Aharonian