[8491] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Multimedia has been patented
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Barry Shein)
Sat Nov 20 18:37:18 1993
Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1993 18:36:49 -0500
From: bzs@world.std.com (Barry Shein)
To: 0005066432@mcimail.com
Cc: com-priv@psi.com
In-Reply-To: "Tansin A. Darcos & Company"'s message of Sat, 20 Nov 1993 03:32:16 -0500 (EST) <0119931120031100/0005066432NA1EM-d100000@MCIMAIL.COM>
Paul,
I think I'm fairly aware of the patent system and its history, tho
don't claim to be expert I don't know that you are either. I really
don't like these glib "you think that's new?" sort of responses, it's
rude and patronizing.
The problem is that the system is not adapting to software, even by
their own admission (do they, USPTO, have a software specialist, like
they do in other areas, on staff *yet*? It's been ten years that this
has been an issue, perhaps they finally hired someone but it would be
quite recent.)
That they've screwed up before provides little comfort.
And it's all the more urgent, in this era of fast-paced global
technological competition, that they don't do it again and in a big
way with software.
The amount of damage that's been caused by some patents issued over
the past several years and what has been done with them (in more than
a few cases their merely being turned over to law firms for
exploitation with no hi-tech company or attempt at development at all)
is more than enough to justify a hue and cry.
The issue comes down to, as I said, whether the US via the USPTO
really wants to shoot the country in its own hi-tech foot, and provide
so many practical reasons to just ignore US intellectual property
claims. Running a system stupidly, no matter how valid the idea, is a
sure-fire way to undo the system independent of its abstract merits.
-Barry Shein
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