a computer program is not a patentable invention
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From: Don McKenzie on 5 Apr 2010 16:14 This little gem comes from NZ via Computerworld. Tuesday, 06 April 2010 ======================== Thumbs down for software patents in NZ Commerce Select Committee tips its hat to open source submissions Open source software champions have been influential in excluding software from the scope of patents in the new Patents Bill. Clause 15 of the draft Bill, as reported back from the Commerce Select Committee, lists a number of classes of invention which should not be patentable and includes the sub-clause �a computer program is not a patentable invention.� http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/thumbs-down-for-software-patents-in-nz Cheers Don... -- Don McKenzie Site Map: http://www.dontronics.com/sitemap E-Mail Contact Page: http://www.dontronics.com/email Web Camera Page: http://www.dontronics.com/webcam No More Damn Spam: http://www.dontronics.com/spam These products will reduce in price by 5% every month: http://www.dontronics-shop.com/minus-5-every-month.html
From: WangoTango on 5 Apr 2010 17:43 In article <81uukiFepfU1(a)mid.individual.net>, 5V(a)2.5A says... > > This little gem comes from NZ via Computerworld. > Tuesday, 06 April 2010 > > ======================== > > Thumbs down for software patents in NZ > Commerce Select Committee tips its hat to open source submissions > > Open source software champions have been influential in excluding > software from the scope of patents in the new Patents Bill. > > Clause 15 of the draft Bill, as reported back from the Commerce Select > Committee, lists a number of classes of invention which should not be > patentable and includes the sub-clause =3Fa computer program is not a > patentable invention.=3F > > http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/thumbs-down-for-software-patents-in-nz > > Cheers Don... Oh my god, this has to be a late April's Fools article. There can't be that much common sense available these days.
From: John Tserkezis on 5 Apr 2010 18:14 WangoTango wrote: >> Open source software champions have been influential in excluding >> software from the scope of patents in the new Patents Bill. > Oh my god, this has to be a late April's Fools article. > There can't be that much common sense available these days. I can do one better. Ordnance Survey, a mapping agency in the UK have now (from 1st April) released some of their street mapping data for free download. (16G all up from what I've been told). They also freed up the postcode locational database, that cross references post codes with physical locations. Previously that data was simply unavailable due to licensing costs making it completely useless for everyone except the odd commercial outfit who could warrant the cost. There was *HUGE* public debate about this, asking why something so simple could possibly cost so much - ruling out any use for the general public. For the benefit of those who don't already know, Ordnance Survey till now have been absolute arseholes on pricing, who would charge for someone's snot on the disk they send you, as an optional extra. Not only that, from what I've read, they somehow own (?) any data product you create from their maps. Wonderful, you have to pay for the privilege of creating data for them. Coupled with the date, one could be forgiven it was a sad joke. Except it's for real. But don't worry, it's not all good news: Their most popular 1:25K and 1:50K map series maps are still in commercial format.
From: steve on 5 Apr 2010 22:03 On Apr 5, 4:14 pm, Don McKenzie <5...(a)2.5A> wrote: > This little gem comes from NZ via Computerworld. > Tuesday, 06 April 2010 > > ======================== > > Thumbs down for software patents in NZ > Commerce Select Committee tips its hat to open source submissions > > Open source software champions have been influential in excluding > software from the scope of patents in the new Patents Bill. > > Clause 15 of the draft Bill, as reported back from the Commerce Select > Committee, lists a number of classes of invention which should not be > patentable and includes the sub-clause a computer program is not a > patentable invention. > > http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/thumbs-down-for-software-pat... > > Cheers Don... > > -- > Don McKenzie > > Site Map: http://www.dontronics.com/sitemap > E-Mail Contact Page:http://www.dontronics.com/email > Web Camera Page: http://www.dontronics.com/webcam > No More Damn Spam: http://www.dontronics.com/spam > > These products will reduce in price by 5% every month:http://www.dontronics-shop.com/minus-5-every-month.html so if I go in my basement and work on a new mousetrap for 10 years I can patent it, but if work on a new algorithm for 10 years it's somehow not worthy of protection? a program is just a virtual machine
From: keithr on 5 Apr 2010 22:04
On 6/04/2010 6:14 AM, Don McKenzie wrote: > > This little gem comes from NZ via Computerworld. > Tuesday, 06 April 2010 > > ======================== > > Thumbs down for software patents in NZ > Commerce Select Committee tips its hat to open source submissions > > Open source software champions have been influential in excluding > software from the scope of patents in the new Patents Bill. > > Clause 15 of the draft Bill, as reported back from the Commerce Select > Committee, lists a number of classes of invention which should not be > patentable and includes the sub-clause �a computer program is not a > patentable invention.� > > http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/thumbs-down-for-software-patents-in-nz > > > Cheers Don... What makes software different? If you can patent a novel circuit or mechanism, why shouldn't you be able to patent a novel software process? Having been, at different times in my life, a hardware designer and (currently) a software developer, I do not see a difference between the two, they are the same thing carried out by different means. The main problem that I see is the way that software patents are issued, often for ill defined and questionablely novel ideas, but then that can also apply to other types of patents too. |