UK High Court Follows Bad US Decision To Allow Software Patents

from the uh-oh dept

It looks like the UK is about to make the same dangerous mistake that US courts made a while back. A decision there has now stated that the Patent Office shouldn't automatically reject patent apps on software. Oddly, the Financial Times report on this only quotes those who seem to think this is a good thing. It quotes some patent attorneys (who, as a rule of thumb, generally want more things to be patentable) claiming this will help small companies better compete. This is actually the opposite of what's happened in the US since the Supreme Court made a similar decision allowing software patents about a decade ago. Since then, the patentability of software has only resulted in the rise of ridiculous patents and lawsuits often preventing small companies from actually being able to innovate. In fact, the US Supreme Court has been trying to back away from software patents recently. Given the vigorous protests against software patents in Europe, you would think that the FT reporter would at least look for an opposing viewpoint, rather than claiming straight up that this decision was a good one.
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Filed Under: patents, software patents, uk


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  1. identicon
    Got Milk, 28 Jan 2008 @ 4:45pm

    "It quotes some patent attorneys...claiming this will help small companies better compete"

    In related news dairy farmers say that a gallon of milk a day leads to a more active sex drive....

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 28 Jan 2008 @ 5:39pm

    Time to buy more milk!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 28 Jan 2008 @ 5:41pm

    Re:

    harrumph but the related excessive flatulence leads to less active sex life

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Brian, 28 Jan 2008 @ 7:05pm

    RE: Got Milk

    And all this time I have been completely misunderstanding what my mom has been telling me about milk making bones grow strong.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    angry dude, 28 Jan 2008 @ 7:50pm

    Don't play smart ass, Mikey

    yeah, why do you think US and UK courts are both stupid ?
    Maybe it is you who are stupid ?

    And the only reason why Europe failed to pass some unified laws regadring so-called computer-implemented inventions a few yeara back is a bunch of brainwashed young idiots in "No software patents" T-shits runnung in circles around the Parliament and shouting FREEEEDOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Freedom my ass

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 28 Jan 2008 @ 11:36pm

    Re: Don't play smart ass, Mikey

    You really have no life do you ?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Econ 101, 29 Jan 2008 @ 5:25am

    Re: Don't play smart ass, Mikey

    Because as we all know ...
    Monopolies = good
    Free Enterprise = bad

    AD, stop playing stupid.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    angry dude, 29 Jan 2008 @ 7:46am

    imbeciles

    What a bunch of brainless retards here on techdirt !!!!!!!!!

    Just venting out

    link to this | view in thread ]


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