Re: [Patents] Re: Banana Union Day

["Alberto Barrionuevo (FFII)" <alberto.barrionuevo@extremadura.es>]

Hi Rui,

El mié, 07-03-2007 a las 11:35 +0000, Rui Miguel Silva Seabra escribió:
> On Qua, 2007-03-07 at 06:30 -0500, jose simoes wrote:
> > Also in my faculty we are going to have people from the European AND
> > American patent office to talk at workshops and I am collecting all
> > the ammunition I can(I posted the announce  around - in Portuguese - a
> > few days )

Usually those conferences are mainly regarding software patents. They
(the EPO and NPOs) are trying to increase the number of software patent
applications with those conferences mainly in the countries that have
less and were against them.

During last year and beginning of current one, they were so active in
this promotion in Spain with conferences in more than 20 technical
universities and technological parks.

It is quite important that people that assists to that conferences sees
opposition to the EPO "selling" everywhere they go.

In Spain, in example, they are trying to promote the application of
software patents giving credits to the university professors that apply
for them.
> 
> One thing they could show as an example of "differences" between US and
> European patent offices is the Amazon 1-Click patent.
> 
Use the MP3 example too. They have granted the same patents that have
cost $1500 mio. to Microsoft recently against Lucent/Alcatel. The reason
they told me to grant them is that there was novelty (everything in MP3
comes from '60) and an important technical effect: "reduce the space"!!!

Indeed using their guidelines, a IT format cannot be formatted itself
and needs any technical effect to be granted.

If you check the MP3 technical effect (reduction of the used space) is
exactly the one you have when you write any SMS (contracting words and
avoiding to write articles and so on).

> You can say that's nice, but then EPO went on and granted "buying and
> sending a gift" to Amazon.

Enjoy!
   Alberto.  ;o)