Re: [Patents] NZ govt reforming patent laws

[Hartmut Pilch <phm@a2e.de>]

> http://www.idg.net.nz/webhome.nsf/UNID/14D4B923F16B0E45CC256D7A00230889!OpenDocument

>   The legislation would review the Patent Act's definition of "invention"
>   and its ability to deal with new technologies, Tizard said in the release.

>   Calls for changes to the existing 1953 law to discourage patent abuse have
>   become a chorus since Canadian company DE Technologies accused local
>   e-tailers of patent "piracy" in connection with an e-commerce patent it
>   holds in this country. The company has written to e-tailers demanding
>   licensing fees of $10,000 plus royalties.

Looks like an attempt by the local patent movement to firmly establish
software patents under the guise of wanting to contain patent inflation.

IDG has previously been instrumental in giving journalistic support to
such dissimulation tactics in Europe.

Of course I might just be paranoid.  But wordings like "adjusting an old
law to deal with new technologies" do sound very suspicious, and I have
zero trust in government officials who speak about patent policies.

-- 
Hartmut Pilch, FFII & Eurolinux Alliance              tel. +49-89-18979927
Protecting Innovation against Patent Inflation       http://swpat.ffii.org/
160,000 votes 2000 firms against software patents    http://noepatents.org/