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Reminder: Today is the deadline to tell USPTO to end software patents

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: Reminder: Today is the deadline to tell USPTO to end software patents

#21

Post by nitrogen »

tkeller wrote: post #18
bhiggins wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There were some folks who owned a lot of slaves back in the day, too. Not a good argument, by itself, sorry.

Seriously? This is your argument? Comparing software patents to slavery trivializes the suffering and evils of slavery.

Perhaps independent developers feel like prisoners (slaves may be too strong a word) where the wardens are software patents. If you ask the FSF, non-Free software is unethical for "enslaving" the knowledge contained in the software (though I think that position goes a bit too far).

Re: Reminder: Today is the deadline to tell USPTO to end software patents

#22

Post by nitrogen »

tkeller wrote: post #17
SwellJoe wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only patent trolls would crash, which is almost entirely private equity. Let them crash. In fact, I'd argue that it would be a great good for the market in general to knock the wind out of the parasites who live off of software patent trolling. Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, etc. companies that make money from legitimate sources would be barely effected at all (and many tech companies who have huge patent portfolios have sp…

This is simply not true. Regardless of how, say Microsoft, uses or doesn't use its patents, they account for a substantial percentage of its value on the books. If the accountants suddenly had to revalue them to $0, it would unquestionably have a big impact on the share price.

Should that be a consideration when deciding whether to abolish software patents? If nothing else, the USPTO can grandfather the existing patents in, but restrict the ability of their owners to use them aggressively.

Re: Reminder: Today is the deadline to tell USPTO to end software patents

#23

Post by Aetius »

nitrogen wrote: post #20
Aetius wrote: post #16

I won't send a letter to the USPTO, or Congress, or any other government entity for that matter, regarding patents. Instead I will amass a great deal of influence and wealth by purchasing and applying for and litigating on patents, and then I will use this wealth to pay for special interests groups that will fight on my behalf (and ensure that I can) continue to do so. Good Day!

You could save yourself a lot of time and money by sharing the costs of the defense.

Great idea! I'll be sure to implement this in my next venture.

Seriously though, does anyone really believe that writing a letter will get something done? Change in Washington, especially for esoteric topics like this, has a cost, and that cost is tribute paid to lobbyists.

Re: Reminder: Today is the deadline to tell USPTO to end software patents

#24

Post by metageek »

tkeller wrote: post #4

There are some big companies out there with a lot of their on-the-books valuation existing in the form of software patents. If they suddenly have to mark that stuff down to zero, imagine the crash...

On the other hand, knowing that they're less likely to be sued for patent infringement is probably worth a lot more.

Re: Reminder: Today is the deadline to tell USPTO to end software patents

#25

Post by metageek »

lukesandberg wrote: post #10
bhiggins wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There were some folks who owned a lot of slaves back in the day, too. Not a good argument, by itself, sorry.

not really a fair comparison. Obviously in the case of slavery most people would believe that matters of economic stability play second fiddle to the overarching concerns of Justice and Morality. However, as evil as you may think software patents are, they are not on the same level. The USPTO should consider economic ramifications of a decision to stop issuing software patents, or to invalidate patents. I'm not sayin…

"Obviously in the case of slavery most people would believe that matters of economic stability play second fiddle" -- It wasn't obvious when slavery was legal.

Re: Reminder: Today is the deadline to tell USPTO to end software patents

#27

Post by tkeller »

nitrogen wrote: post #22
tkeller wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is simply not true. Regardless of how, say Microsoft, uses or doesn't use its patents, they account for a substantial percentage of its value on the books. If the accountants suddenly had to revalue them to $0, it would unquestionably have a big impact on the share price.

Should that be a consideration when deciding whether to abolish software patents? If nothing else, the USPTO can grandfather the existing patents in, but restrict the ability of their owners to use them aggressively.

Should it? I don't know. Will it? Absolutely.

And what does "aggressively" mean? Making a patent unenforceable will have the same effect as invalidating it.

Re: Reminder: Today is the deadline to tell USPTO to end software patents

#28

Post by JoeAltmaier »

nitrogen wrote: post #19
JoeAltmaier wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The suggested text is nonsense. Software is no more "mathematics" than are circuit diagrams, chemistry nor books.

If you ask a mathematician, everything is or can be described by math. I'm inclined to agree when it comes to software. Software is just a domain-specific mathematical notation for expressing algorithms in a machine-parsable way.

There is Nothing more mathematical about assembly language than coding a book in ASCII - its a coincidence, not intrisic to the subject.

Re: Reminder: Today is the deadline to tell USPTO to end software patents

#29

Post by amalcon »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #28
nitrogen wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you ask a mathematician, everything is or can be described by math. I'm inclined to agree when it comes to software. Software is just a domain-specific mathematical notation for expressing algorithms in a machine-parsable way.

There is Nothing more mathematical about assembly language than coding a book in ASCII - its a coincidence, not intrisic to the subject.

Tell this to Alan Turing or Alonzo Church.

Re: Reminder: Today is the deadline to tell USPTO to end software patents

#30

Post by JoeAltmaier »

amalcon wrote: post #29
JoeAltmaier wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is Nothing more mathematical about assembly language than coding a book in ASCII - its a coincidence, not intrisic to the subject.

Tell this to Alan Turing or Alonzo Church.

Yes, and if you come up with a new theory of computer science, then run off to the patent office.

But if (like most of us) you write A program, then its a program, not an equation or a theorem or anything else mathematical.

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