Social and professional networking

View Ian Clarke's profile on LinkedIn
Shameless plug

Does your company's revenue depend on being able to predict the future based on past data?  SenseArray may be able to help.

RSS
Links
« Complexity from simplicity | Main | Goodbye Wordpress.com »
Saturday
Nov012008

Goodbye business method patents!

According to Groklaw, the appeals court has just significantly narrowed the scope of what can be patented in the United States.  They didn't go so-far as to invalidate software patents (unfortunately), but it looks like they have invalidated most "business method" patents, and probably narrowed software patents.

Experts are still digesting exactly what this means, but it looks like a victory for anyone that (like me), believes that the recent expansive view of what can be patented has retarded rather than advanced the cause of innovation.

Reader Comments (3)

They obviously did not have deep enough pockets to fund their push for patent.
So you are for open source/ freeware completely? No intellectual property rights and sole usuage claims? How far does this extend in the future in your thoughts, I am curious. I am not opposed to these concepts - given the growth lately in patenting DNA and life forms. So you are thinking nothing in software design should have ownership? Developing software for the insurance industry I don' know if I agree. Clever people always seem to find away around patents and even Edison said it leads to greater inovation. I am on the fence. Hard to say.

November 3, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterLilika

@Lilika, I don't think that being an advocate for open source and freeware implies that you are opposed to all IP rights, indeed many free software licenses rely on copyright. It is important not to confuse copyright with patents. Copyright can never prevent me from creating something independently of other people, but a patent on an obvious idea can and does.

You may find this explanation interesting.

November 22, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterIan

A sail veering about the blank bay waiting for a swollen designer sunglasses wholesale bundle to bob up, roll over to the sun a puffy replica sunglasses wholesale face, salt white. Here I am. They followed the winding path down to the creek. Buck Mulligan stood on a stone, in shirtsleeves, his wholesale cheap sunglasses unclipped tie rippling over his shoulder. A young man clinging to a spur of rock near him moved slowly frogwise his green sunglass wholesale legs in the deep jelly of the water. Buck Mulligan sat down to unlace his wholesale oakley sunglasses boots. An elderly man shot up near the spur of rock a blowing red sunglasses for wholesale face. He scrambled up by the stones, water glistening on his fashion sunglasses wholesale pate and on its garland of grey hair, water rilling over his chest and paunch and spilling jets out of his wholesale sunglasses china black sagging loincloth.

July 13, 2010 | Unregistered Commentersunglass wholesale

PostPost a New Comment

Enter your information below to add a new comment.

My response is on my own website »
Author Email (optional):
Author URL (optional):
Post:
 
Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>