Re: [FYI] UK: Royal Society publishes IP report

[Hartmut Pilch <phm@a2e.de>]

On Fri, 25 Apr 2003, Axel H Horns wrote:

> http://www.patent.gov.uk/about/ippd/notices/royal.htm
>
> ------------------------------- CUT ---------------------------------
>
> Royal Society publishes IP report
>
> The Royal Society was founded in 1660 and is the UK’s independent
> national academy of science. It has produced a report: "Keeping
> science open: the effects of intellectual property policy on the
> conduct of science". The report is addressed to universities and
> colleges, funding bodies, learned societies, scientists, industry,
> the courts as well as to governments from around the world and their
> patent offices.
>
> The paper was published on 14 April 2003 and is available from the
> Royal Society’s website . The report is lengthy and detailed, having
> had contributions from many eminent scientists and academics.
>
> The Royal Society recognises that patents are morally neutral. Like
> any other tool they can be used for good or bad. When used properly
> they can promote innovation, but if abused can cause some economic
> harm. Debate on how to use patents is always welcomed by policy-

Compare:  Who "uses" patents: the patent owner or the state which uses
patents as a means of regulation ?  It seems that "patents" are a kind of
commodity that naturally exists and can be used.

> makers. The report will be of interest to the IP profession (e.g CIPA
> and ITMA), as well as to policy-makers at WIPO, the EPO and European
> Commission, as well as to interested parties here in the UK.
>
> http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/files/statfiles/document-221.pdf

The introduction by the UK Patent Office suggests that this is a rather
confused patent advocacy paper written by patent lawyers in another big
name.  But maybe it is not so bad.  It would be nice to have a review.

-- 
Hartmut Pilch, FFII & Eurolinux Alliance              tel. +49-89-12789608
Protecting Innovation against Patent Inflation       http://swpat.ffii.org/
140,000 signatures against software patents          http://noepatents.org/