Software patents - pah!

• Laurie Fleming

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  Posted: 18 July 2010 07:19 AM

  And now they’re getting harder to get in New Zealand. With a bit of luck, the insanity that goes with them will spread.

  http://techdirt.com/articles/20100714/23550310221.shtml

  And really, the fact that the domestic software industry doesn’t want software patents, while foreign competitors did, is not a surprise. If you look back at the history of patents, it’s the same story over and over again. When Switzerland was finally pressured into adding patent protection for dyes, it was due to strong pressure from foreign dyemakers. When Italy was finally pressured into adding patents on pharmaceuticals, again it was due to strong pressure from foreign pharmaceutical firms. In both cases, after patents were put in place, they weren’t used to make those industries more innovative, but for large multinational conglomerates to come in and lock up the market. It’s nice to see that New Zealand may avoid this fate on software.

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