Toolkit

Story: Judge dreads software patents

Posted by: gerald krug (Thursday 19 January 2006, 6:39 AM)

I am an intellectual property, IP, owner. I have copyrighted 56 computer programs. I can sue anyone who re-produces my work for commercial gain that didn't get a license from me for my permission. The reason why I haven't sued un-licensed companies is because I didn't want to stiffle the computer revolution. I think copyrights (not patents) are the tool to use for computer programs. Patents are granted to stimulate the market place and if the patent owner does not market a product based on the patent he loses his right to the patent to a company that will produce a real product. This rule was brought by president Ronald Regan so patent owners could not just "sit" on patents
and then sue if some company brought out a product based on "their" patent.
Two companies did bring a similar patented product to the market at about the same time and the courts choose one company to market first, until one million products were sold, then the other company could enter the market legally. It's easier to get investor money for patents than for copyrights, sadly, so I see a need to change that so smaller companies with truly new computer programs will get to market on a national scale.
I believe if I enter the fray on this issue I could bring alot of clarity.
I also believe that computers have matured to the point that truly new marketable products will become more and more rair so why bother with the software patent issue at all.