Patent wars, it's like a real war but stupider

Orthanc

There's far too little controversy in here at the moment so lets talk about software patents.

Patents seem to be a cost of doing business for software companies these days. Either you pay lawyers to build a defensive portfolio, or you pay lawyers to pay off patent trolls.

This situation has always irked me as most / all software patents really don't meet the non-obvious criteria. In reality patents have ceased to represent a unique invention but rather just a ticket to litigate.

Until recently there has been only an indirect impact on consumers, the money spent on patents is not used for product development. But now patents are being used to block devices from being imported into various jurisdictions.

This is particularly bad in the smartphone space. Traditionally it's just been a shakedown for money, but Apple has no interest in licencing, just blocking competitors. Other companies are retaliating in the same fashion.

So what do you think of software patents? Is there any reason for them to exist?

Beasteh

fert

Big Red Tie

:!:

Tox

I can't decide if lines of code are more like a written or musical work. Artistically, it's fair to treat a program as either, potentially more the latter. I do think if you come up with some new and genuinely unique idea that you deserve some credit for that.

Coming up with a highly specific way of locking/unlocking a phone's screen, as well as a highly specific interface for said mechanism, does not pass the smell test for me.

Raijin Quickfoot

Didn't we just have a thread like this?

The Lovely Bastard

your mom

Druhim

Raijin Quickfoot wrote: »

Didn't we just have a thread like this?

This one's better.

Raijin Quickfoot

Druhim wrote: »

Raijin Quickfoot wrote: »

Didn't we just have a thread like this?

This one's better.

I don't see how that's possible. Orthanc's involved.

Butler

I should warn you that I own all extant patents on threadshitting.

Beef Avenger

i'd never think of patenting "square icons with rounded edges" but apparently that's an idea worth hundreds of millions of dollars!

Beef Avenger

The This American Life episode on patent trolls was really good

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/441/when-patents-attack/

TyrantCow

Beef Avenger wrote: »

The This American Life episode on patent trolls was really good

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/441/when-patents-attack/

i was just about to post that very same link

it's totes worth a listen