Re: [Patents] philosophical aspects of software patents

[Fred Boutet <Fred.Boutet@wanadoo.fr>]

Le Lundi 1 Septembre 2003 11:36, Bernard Lang a écrit :
[...]

> Wrong discussion.
>
> This MEP is mistaken as to the role of patents to begin with ...
>
> Patents are intended "to promote Progress of Science and useful Arts"
> and to help economic growth.
>   The criteria such as being new, contributing to the art, etc... are
> just criteria that have been considered useful in the material
> industry.  No more.  Patent granting has used different criteria at
> different times, and in various countries.
>    Nothing proves they are effective for the real goal in intangible
> activities.
>
>   Your discussion is interesting for the philosopher, and irrelevant
> politically and economically.


Of course the text I wrote is not relevant economically speaking. And there 
are enough economical arguments against software patents for the parliament 
to take the right decision.

For example: two third of software patents in the E.U. were owned by big 
industrial firms, representing only 10% of employment in the software 
development area (Zimmermann's study 2003, only in french currently).  That's 
may be a stronger argument than all intellectual considerations.

fred


> Cordialement
>
> Bernard