Re: The Vaults of Innovation

From: Alex Macfie (cgcenet_at_tiscali.co.uk)
Date: 06/08/04 

Date: 8 Jun 2004 05:31:15 -0700

"David Brown" <david@no.westcontrol.spam.com> wrote in message news:<ca1ksh$prs$1@news.netpower.no>...
>
> I have also heard that the USPTO is funded based on the number of patents it
> issues, rather than on the work required to do a proper job.

True. All patent offices work this way.

>
> I don't know whether patent offices in Europe are going to be just as bad
> once software patenting gets underway here.

The European Patent Office already is. Its practice is virtually
indistinguishable from that of the USPTO. The only difference, AIUI,
is that patentees have to pay more attention to the /form/ of the
claim (one has to make sure that it is sufficiently "technical", which
is not all that difficult).

Some national patent offices in Europe (notably the UK one) also grant
software patents. Also under UK case law these patents are actually
enforceable. What the patent movement is trying to do is make these
patents legally enforceable everywhere in Europe.

Alex

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