|
The Patent Busting Project
Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Release
For Immediate Release: Monday, April 19, 2004
Contact:
Jason Schultz
Staff Attorney
Electronic Frontier Foundation
jason@eff.org
+1 415 436-9333 x112
Wendy Seltzer
Staff Attorney
Electronic Frontier Foundation
wendy@eff.org
+1 415 436-9333 x125 (office), +1 914 374-0613 (cell)
Electronic Frontier Foundation Announces New Patent Busting Campaign
Will Challenge Patents Affecting Non-Profits, Free Speech
San Francisco, CA - In light of growing concerns about illegitimate software and Internet patents, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today announced a new initiative to combat the chilling effects bad patents have on public and consumer interests.
"Patents traditionally only targeted large commercial companies," said EFF Staff Attorney Jason Schultz. "Now bad patents are threatening non-profits, small businesses, and even individuals who use software and Internet technology." These threats target non-commercial personal use, such as building a hobbyist website or streaming a wedding video to your friends.
The new EFF initiative seeks to document these threats and fight back against them. EFF has pledged to file "re-examination" requests with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), asking the agency to revoke patents that are having negative effects on Internet innovation and free expression.
"More and more, people are using software and Internet technology to express themselves," said EFF Staff Attorney Wendy Seltzer. "Patent owners who threaten this expression are creating a chilling effect on free speech."
The EFF announcement comes on the heels of two recent public criticisms of the patent system, one by the Federal Trade Commission and the other by the National Academy of Sciences.
For this release:
http://www.eff.org/Patent/20040419_eff_pr_patent.php
EFF Patent Busting Project White Paper and related materials:
http://www.eff.org/Patent/
Federal Trade Commission Patent Reform Report:
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/10/cpreport.htm
National Academy of Sciences Patent Reform Report:
http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/0309089107?OpenDocument
User Comments
(These do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of this site)
|
DeadMan2003
|
Date: April 19, 2004 @ 5:20 PM
The problem with patens in general is that it's too easy to get a patent without even having a solid working model of the idea you are patenting. As long as you pay your patent fee the patent office could not care less.
Also patents should be checked and double checked against other existing patents internationally and only be allowed once verified as a unique and WORKABLE patent.
I've never really gone with the idea that people should be allowed rights on ideas that are not even working on the basis that someone in the future 'might' come up with a working model of their idea which they can then profit from on the backs of those that actually got out there and made the idea work! |
|
peatrap
|
Date: April 19, 2004 @ 5:47 PM
Patents are neither easy or cheap to come by. First a patent has to be researched by a Patent attorney after you submit your idea with at least a set of plans and a description of operation to go with it (cost start at $450.00 and up to several thousand just for the search). Then if you are lucky enuff to get past this step it can cost up to $15000.00 to close all the paper work. Check out www.LITMAN Law for more details. The major point that a patent has verses a copyright is it will run out in a reasonable amount of time and become public domain. Copyright is like the energizer bunny, it gos on and on and on, your grand kids might see a copyright run out if it was granted when you were a teen. |
|
|
Navigation
