The Lurking Danger: Software Patents
If you thought that software patents in Europe had been seen off, think again. The ever-alert Digital Majority has spotted the following:
Simon Gentry is back in software patents lobbying. Now his role is to push for legalisation of software patents via the creation of central patent court in Europe.
Mr Gentry is speaking this week at the expensive conference IPBusinessCongress in Amsterdam, which is gathering many members of the patent community
The conference has a number of tell-tale topics:
Defining the Chief IP Office
which is a bit like defining a Chief Extortions OfficerIP in the age of open source and open innovation
which I don't imagine will be singing their praises, and finallyNew opportunities for patentowners in Europe
where those "opportunities" almost certainly amount to sneaking in software patents by the backdoor.
Be alert for more of this stuff: the price of freedom is eternal vigilance etc. etc. etc.
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4 comments:
Glyn,
Your help is needed at this stage. Please write and write and write about this problem if you can.
Free software can't be easily defeated based on merit (not long-term anyway); litigious obstacles are a different story.
Don't worry, I will....
“IP in the age of open source and open innovation”
Most likely they'll be saying that FOSS authors and small businesses etc. are ill-informed and just don't know of the wonderful opportunities that software patents promise.
I'm rather glad Simon Gentry is back - he seemed to me to be the David Tredinnick* of the software patent debate last time - but these thieves and parasites must be opposed.
* http://www.badscience.net/?p=617
plh.
Well, I suppose there is some entertainment value there, yes, but nonetheless, I think even advocates of this kind can be dangerous, simply because they put about so much nonsense that the uninformed assumed that at least some of it must be true....
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