As both a software engineer AND a patent agent, I have a unique perspective on it. For most IP lawyers, asking if software needs patenting is like asking a barber if you need a hair…
As both a software engineer AND a patent agent, I have a unique perspective on it. For most IP lawyers, asking if software needs patenting is like asking a barber if you need a haircut.
Software does not need patenting. We need to separate it out from "real" sciences like biotech, so that Congress no longer considers them together.
Yeah. Back when Amazon sued B&N over its 1-click patents, they took a lot of heat. Bezos published a proposal, which included software patents only lasting 3-5 years.
I submitted this article to Hacker News (got only single-digit upvotes). The tech community LOVES to rant about software patents (usually incorrectly and incoherently, but that's another matter), but they have no interest in actually solving the problem.
(me: patent agent, formerly a tech advisor in Google's Patent LItigation division)
I've written on this before:
https://albertcory50.substack.com/p/no-source-code-no-patent
https://albertcory50.substack.com/p/lets-vote-on-it
As both a software engineer AND a patent agent, I have a unique perspective on it. For most IP lawyers, asking if software needs patenting is like asking a barber if you need a haircut.
Software does not need patenting. We need to separate it out from "real" sciences like biotech, so that Congress no longer considers them together.
What do you think of the Bezos idea of having short, 5-year patents (specifically for software)?
That sounds promising. Do you have a link about that?
Yeah. Back when Amazon sued B&N over its 1-click patents, they took a lot of heat. Bezos published a proposal, which included software patents only lasting 3-5 years.
Here is the proposal: http://www.techlawjournal.com/intelpro/20000309bez.htm
Here is an article we wrote about the 1-click patent saga: https://blog.withedge.com/p/the-legacy-of-amazons-1-click-checkout
25 years old, almost.
I submitted this article to Hacker News (got only single-digit upvotes). The tech community LOVES to rant about software patents (usually incorrectly and incoherently, but that's another matter), but they have no interest in actually solving the problem.