Software patents
Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 4:28 pm
I'm already convined that software patents are a good thing...
However, while reading a newsletter from the Green Party (Who I was thinking of voting for this next Canadian election) I noticed one of there objectives is to reduce software patents to 7 years instead of 20 or whatever it is now....
Silly IMHO...it could take that long to get everything off the ground financially, marketing, etc...
So I ask this question only to see what others think and maybe try and understand the madness behind NO SOFTWARE patents...
I personally have had 2 ideas on the back burner for a few years now...
One which could make me a bit of cash and the other is a technological innovation which I would likely release to the public as GPL for non-commercial use...
The way I see it, I dedicate time and effort into developing and conceptualizing something and someone makes money off my work, I should profit too...
Thats the one thing i have against OSS or the FSF anwyays...
I've always liked Stallman's quote: "Free as in speech not as in beer" or whatever...
I see no harm in patents...they don't stifle innovation...they prevent someone more business oriented than the inventor from taking the idea and making more money from it without you benefiting...
I'm always suspiscious of people who argue against software patents...
Mostly because, they likely never had a unique enough idea to bother patenting...
The problem I have with patents, isn't actually the patents fault...but rather the weak process by which a patent is granted (especially in the US).
Amazons one click or Netflix and their business process of renting movies online via the USPS...those are silly patents...
For the most part, however I'm all for patents!!!
Comments???
Cheers
However, while reading a newsletter from the Green Party (Who I was thinking of voting for this next Canadian election) I noticed one of there objectives is to reduce software patents to 7 years instead of 20 or whatever it is now....
Silly IMHO...it could take that long to get everything off the ground financially, marketing, etc...
So I ask this question only to see what others think and maybe try and understand the madness behind NO SOFTWARE patents...
I personally have had 2 ideas on the back burner for a few years now...
One which could make me a bit of cash and the other is a technological innovation which I would likely release to the public as GPL for non-commercial use...
The way I see it, I dedicate time and effort into developing and conceptualizing something and someone makes money off my work, I should profit too...
Thats the one thing i have against OSS or the FSF anwyays...
I've always liked Stallman's quote: "Free as in speech not as in beer" or whatever...
I see no harm in patents...they don't stifle innovation...they prevent someone more business oriented than the inventor from taking the idea and making more money from it without you benefiting...
I'm always suspiscious of people who argue against software patents...
Mostly because, they likely never had a unique enough idea to bother patenting...
The problem I have with patents, isn't actually the patents fault...but rather the weak process by which a patent is granted (especially in the US).
Amazons one click or Netflix and their business process of renting movies online via the USPS...those are silly patents...
For the most part, however I'm all for patents!!!
Comments???
Cheers