Hi,
Don't know if anybody has reacted to this....
EFF: The Patent Busting Project (EFF)
The Electronic Frontier Foundation's Patent Busting Project is here to protect you from dangerously bad patents. And you can help us pick which patents we're going to bust first! We're currently seeking nominations for ten patents that deserve to be revoked because they are invalid. A patent must be software or Internet-related and there must be a good reason to suspect that the patent claims are invalid. We're especially interested in patents that target tools of free expression, such as streaming media, blogging tools, and voice over IP (VoIP) technology. Most importantly, the patent-holder must be aggressively enforcing its patent and suing (or threatening to sue) alleged infringers. We're particularly interested in cases where the patent-holder is trying to force small businesses, individuals, nonprofits, and consumers to pay licensing fees. Deadline to enter is June 23. http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem1805
Good for those already encumbered by software patents, but no substitute for not having such patents in the first place.
I think its main benefit will be to highlight the flaws in the US patent system.
Ian.
Barry Mahon wrote:
EFF: The Patent Busting Project (EFF)
The Electronic Frontier Foundation's Patent Busting Project is here to protect you from dangerously bad patents. And you can help us pick which patents we're going to bust first! We're currently seeking nominations for ten patents that deserve to be revoked because they are invalid. A patent must be software or Internet-related and there must be a good reason to suspect that the patent claims are invalid. We're especially interested in patents that target tools of free expression, such as streaming media, blogging tools, and voice over IP (VoIP) technology. Most importantly, the patent-holder must be aggressively enforcing its patent and suing (or threatening to sue) alleged infringers. We're particularly interested in cases where the patent-holder is trying to force small businesses, individuals, nonprofits, and consumers to pay licensing fees. Deadline to enter is June 23. http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem1805
Ian Clarke ian@locut.us writes:
Barry Mahon wrote:
EFF: The Patent Busting Project (EFF)
Good for those already encumbered by software patents, but no substitute for not having such patents in the first place.
The other problem, as RMS pointed out at his talk, is that it will be very expensive for EFF and it might even be used against us as the patent inflation camp can say "look, the bad ones are being weeded out, the system works!"
EFF are grasping at straws, not because they're an ineffective bunch (they're not), but because USA dwellers have no better option. We have a golden opportunity in the EU.
On Tue, 15 Jun 2004, Ciaran O'Riordan wrote:
Ian Clarke ian@locut.us writes:
Barry Mahon wrote:
EFF: The Patent Busting Project (EFF)
Good for those already encumbered by software patents, but no substitute for not having such patents in the first place.
The other problem, as RMS pointed out at his talk, is that it will be very expensive for EFF and it might even be used against us as the patent inflation camp can say "look, the bad ones are being weeded out, the system works!"
yes, that's true and the EFF project could be used as an argument to validate the patent system. A free software developer can't work with "software"[1] patent and its related system...
http://www.philsalin.com/patents.html
Maybe we should ask the EFF to make the point on the web page.
[1] computer programs.
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I was at LayerOne [1] this weekend, and talked to one of the lawyers working on this project.
It's a "first step", to demonstrate *existing* cases of patents being used to shake down other groups. Once a collection of "chilling effects" [2] are established, they can move on to more abstract dangers where a shake-down hasn't yet been attempted, and they can use it as evidence of the harm the current patent situation causes in their lobbying in the US.
[1]: http://layerone.info [2]: http://www.chillingeffects.org
BTW, I'd say they'd be happy to put a quote on the line for anti-swpat lobbying in the EU, where things haven't got quite as far yet. ;)
- --j.
Alexandre Dulaunoy writes:
On Tue, 15 Jun 2004, Ciaran O'Riordan wrote:
Ian Clarke ian@locut.us writes:
Barry Mahon wrote:
EFF: The Patent Busting Project (EFF)
Good for those already encumbered by software patents, but no substitute for not having such patents in the first place.
The other problem, as RMS pointed out at his talk, is that it will be very expensive for EFF and it might even be used against us as the patent inflation camp can say "look, the bad ones are being weeded out, the system works!"
yes, that's true and the EFF project could be used as an argument to validate the patent system. A free software developer can't work with "software"[1] patent and its related system...
http://www.philsalin.com/patents.html
Maybe we should ask the EFF to make the point on the web page.
[1] computer programs.
The EFF need education. Last I heard from Brad Templeton, he believes some software should be patentable, and he gave an analysis along the lines of "the problem is too much patenting of problems, rather than patenting of novel solutions."
Seth
Ciaran O'Riordan wrote:
Ian Clarke ian@locut.us writes:
Barry Mahon wrote:
EFF: The Patent Busting Project (EFF)
Good for those already encumbered by software patents, but no substitute for not having such patents in the first place.
The other problem, as RMS pointed out at his talk, is that it will be very expensive for EFF and it might even be used against us as the patent inflation camp can say "look, the bad ones are being weeded out, the system works!"
EFF are grasping at straws, not because they're an ineffective bunch (they're not), but because USA dwellers have no better option. We have a golden opportunity in the EU.
-- Ciarán O'Riordan http://www.compsoc.com/~coriordan/ Free Software in Ireland: http://ifso.ie _______________________________________________ fsfe-ie@fsfeurope.org mailing list List information: http://mail.fsfeurope.org/pipermail/fsfe-ie Public archive: https://mail.fsfeurope.org/mailman/listinfo/fsfe-ie