Regis wrote:
Just to say that I'm FOR software patents This is a free world, and you are free to think different from us. 
Anyway there are lots of developer concerned by what could happens if software patents will be approved in Europe. Here is the news: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/06/27/more_swpat_campaigning/ Note that between them you find big names like the browser-maker Opera.
The US-style software patent will never come to Europe, this is political bullshit from people who do not know the difference between the USPTO and the EPO practice, or between copyright and patents. The first patent directive was changed so that it was possible patenting software only if it was tied to some custom hardware: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/05/18/patents_rocard_draft/
After that, the Parliamentary JURI committee voted to scrap most of the amendments to the directive that had been proposed to restrict the patentability of pure software inventions http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/06/23/lobbying_eu_patents/
So whatever you think about patents, be aware that (among other european leading company) Philips, Siemens, Nokia, Ericsson, France Telecom (Orange), etc., are providing you telecom and internet standards thanks to the system. I'm no against patenting as a whole. I'm against this kind of patenting. Philips, Siemens, Nokia, Ericsson, France Telecom, and the other are already big names, so software patenting is not important for them. We already have laws defending copyrights, and it is already possible to patent every kind of hardware inventions. We simply doesn't need software patents, because there is the possibility that they will grow out of control, as already happens now in the Usa.
Obviously this is only my 2 cents on this matter.
Take care Fourth |