Re: [tlug] Patents gone wrong?

["Josh Glover" <jmglov@example.com>]

On 27/08/06, Michael Engel <mkengel@example.com> wrote:

> I see lots of advantages if software would also be patented.

Software *is* patented in the US, and I have not seen many advantages,
from either the perspective of a professional software developer or
the perspective of a software user.

Your argument makes sense on the face of it. I still need to read the
link you sent and think about it some, but the biggest issue I have
with software patents is that patent authorities do not seem to have
the ability to avoid giving frivolous patents, or correctly checking
prior art. Many US software companies (of which Microsoft is but one
offender) happily file patents applications for software "processes"
that are either completely obvious or that have existed for quite some
time but have never been patented.

-Josh