[Linux-aus] Re: Software patents: Munich has put Linux project on hold!

[Anthony Towns]

On Thu, Aug 05, 2004 at 10:37:47AM +1000, pia at linux.org.au wrote:
> Anthony Towns writes: 
> >On Wed, Aug 04, 2004 at 07:52:41AM +1000, Arjen Lentz wrote:
> >> - software patents come into force in AU through the FTA, and
> >The indication from the parliamentary ctte inquiries is that this position
> >isn't going to change.
> There are a few patents specific problems, but keep in mind the issues 
> extend beyond patents in the FTA. 

"There are few patent specific problems" seems a more accurate way of
phrasing it.

> The issue isn't that we are going to see much worse patents laws, 
> because under the DAA (Digital Agenda Act?) introduced in aus 3 (?) 
> years ago, we already changed our patents laws to be more accepting of 
> trivial stuff. 

Uh, no. The Digital Agenda Act's full title was "Copyright Amendment
(Digital Agenda)" -- it affected copyright, not patents. It was introduced
in the late '90s, passed in 2000, and came into effect in 2001.

See http://www.dcita.gov.au/Article/0,,0_1-2_1-4_15595,00.html for some
real concerns related to the Digital Agenda issues.

> The issue is that we have only just finished reviewing the DAA,
> and are just learning from the issues, yet we are locking ourselves 
> into a patents regime that we as a country, have no local access to change. 

This is misleading and incorrect, and serves no purpose except as FUD.

Cheers,
aj

-- 
Anthony Towns <aj at humbug.org.au> <http://azure.humbug.org.au/~aj/>
Don't assume I speak for anyone but myself. GPG signed mail preferred.

``Like the ski resort of girls looking for husbands and husbands looking
  for girls, the situation is not as symmetrical as it might seem.''
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