[Linux-aus] Re: [Osia-discuss] FTA, Bogus software Patents, window of opportunity

[Petr Baum]

On Wednesday 04 August 2004 08:32, Ronald Skeoch wrote:

> The Labour party have created a window of opportunity
> with The refusal of the goverment to accept
> the Bogus Patent ...as related to the Pharmaceutical
> The longer this debate continues provides a operning to
> get the Bogus software paitents into the political debate
> any thoughts on how to achieve same

Can anybody prepare estimate of $$ impact on Oz software industry etc.? It 
well may be in its impact comparable to Pharmaceutical scam. 

On another angle - most "full size" patents are for 15 years or so. That was 
quite appropriate for mechanical manufacturing, where all this started. 
Computing develops at least five times faster and implementation of product, 
based on patents can be almost instant. Therefore software patents - bogus or 
otherwise - should have significantly shorter life span. Say four years. That 
would give the author fair chance to get his innovation into marketplace 
without removing it from other users for inappropriate time. 15 years in 
software world is an epoch!

I have no idea if 4 years (or so) limit would be achievable but it may be 
worth pursuing: it would give us software patents but without too much bite.

Petr

-- 
<petr at baum.com.au>

Petr Baum, P.O.Box 2364, Rowville 3178
fax +61-3-97643342