Why Is The Hollywood Tail Wagging The Dog Of Academia?

UK High Court Follows Bad US Decision To Allow Software Patents

from the uh-oh dept

Mon, Jan 28th 2008 4:01pm — Mike Masnick

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.

Filed Under: patents, software patents, uk

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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....
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- Anonymous Coward, 28 Jan 2008 @ 5:41pm
  
  Re:
  harrumph but the related excessive flatulence leads to less active sex life
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Jan 2008 @ 5:39pm

Time to buy more milk!
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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.
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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
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- Anonymous Coward, 28 Jan 2008 @ 11:36pm
  
  Re: Don't play smart ass, Mikey
  You really have no life do you ?
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- 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.
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angry dude, 29 Jan 2008 @ 7:46am

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

Just venting out
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