[Fsf-friends] Update on Amendments to Patents Act

[Mahesh T. Pai]

Ramanraj K said on Wed, Mar 16, 2005 at 05:53:56AM +0530,:

 > <quote>
 > Cyber expert and Supreme Court advocate Pawan Duggal pointed out that in 
 > the US, software itself is patentable.

Which is only the half the truth.

IIRC, it began when the US supreme Court directed the USPTO to grant a
patent to  a specific  software hardware combination  which controlled
industrial production.

By  executive action,  software patents  are being  granted.  I recall
reading on Groklaw that if the US Supreme Court reverses its position,
all software patents would be void there.

Unfortunately,  no party  to patent  litigation in  that  country will
raise a contention that software is not patentable, because that would
be killing the  goose that lays golden egges. A  defendant in one case
will be a plaintiff in another.

-- 
         Mahesh T. Pai    <<>>   http://paivakil.port5.com
~/\$ mv -vfi linux gnu/linux