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Re: COMPCOMM: Background on Software Patents

• To: Multiple recipients of list <compcomm-l@iucr.org>
• Subject: Re: COMPCOMM: Background on Software Patents
• From: "Ralf W. Grosse-Kunstleve" <rwgk@yahoo.com>
• Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2002 17:57:45 +0100 (BST)

--- Lachlan Cranswick <l.m.d.cranswick@dl.ac.uk> wrote:
> 
> (from Vincent and myself)
> 
> Re: Background on Software Patents
> 
> It is hard to find "objective" articles but this 33 page 
> document seems to be the best of the lot:
> 
> Software Useright: Solving Inconsistencies of Software Patents: 
>  an overview by Jean-Paul Smets
>    http://www.smets.com/it/policy/useright/useright.pdf
> 
> Conclusion from the above article:
> "Software patents are generally useless, worthless and unfair.  Patents
> on programmes as such are even dangerous because they allow to grant
> monopolies on business methods and social practices and make business
> life very risky for software publishers."

Negative emotional language like this is not going to stimulate
positive change in the way communities act.

> If members of the Commission would like to read the abovelink.
> Then the draft compcomm opinion can be resent to the mailing list
> Monday and reviewed with respect to this background information.

I feel very uncomfortable with strong negative language that is not
backed up by comprehensive prior analysis. Attaching a few URL's is not
a credible shortcut. If compcomm feels that it is necessary to get
involved in the democratic process of law-making I'd prefer to see a
careful, concise, unbiased analysis that the target audience can absorb
in a reasonable amount of time (33 pages is too long), potentially
followed by an endorsement of certain practices.

Ralf


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