Petition Against Software Patents
-
Author:
n/a -
Send To:
The United States Government
-
Sponsored By:
All Software users and developers -
More Info at:
We, the undersigned, are voters involved in the IT industry who believe that software patents will stifle innovation in the software industry and restrict computer users unfairly.
We have seen that many software patents covering well-known algorithms and techniques hinder the software industry in the United States of America and around the world. The Patent Office has shown that it does not understand software and cannot follow developments in the field, and frequently issues patents on well-known techniques and on simple ideas that programmers consider obvious. The causes of this are inherent in the nature of the software field and cannot be corrected.
Due to the incremental nature of software development, where developers add to the work of those that went before, patents covering software techniques are an obstacle to progress in software. Programmers, in the course of doing their job, search for solutions to the problem at hand and are only impeded by software patents which threaten them or their employers with litigation. The ultimate impact of software patents is to slow innovation, rather than to promote it and therefore contradicts the stated purpose of the patent laws.
Never before has an industry where copyright was widely established had patents imposed on it. Software patents increase the cost of doing business in the software industry, which will make it difficult for smaller companies and individual developers to operate.
Patents in most fields in practice usually affect only factories, patents that apply to software tie the hands of every computer user. Only a tremendous public benefit could justify this imposition, but the actual effect of software patents is harmful.
For the good of the software industry and computer users both, we call for a Federal law to exclude software implementations running on general purpose computer hardware from the coverage of any patent.
Please see the following links for more information:
http://www2.linuxjournal.com/articles/currents/003.html
http://users.erols.com/gcasamen/software-patents
http://antipatents.8m.com/software-patents.html
http://www.researchoninnovation.org/patent.pdf
NOTE: This petition is limited to the US voters in order to have the maximum effect in the United States. If software patents are a problem in your country you are free to use the text of this petition to start a petition for your country.
We have seen that many software patents covering well-known algorithms and techniques hinder the software industry in the United States of America and around the world. The Patent Office has shown that it does not understand software and cannot follow developments in the field, and frequently issues patents on well-known techniques and on simple ideas that programmers consider obvious. The causes of this are inherent in the nature of the software field and cannot be corrected.
Due to the incremental nature of software development, where developers add to the work of those that went before, patents covering software techniques are an obstacle to progress in software. Programmers, in the course of doing their job, search for solutions to the problem at hand and are only impeded by software patents which threaten them or their employers with litigation. The ultimate impact of software patents is to slow innovation, rather than to promote it and therefore contradicts the stated purpose of the patent laws.
Never before has an industry where copyright was widely established had patents imposed on it. Software patents increase the cost of doing business in the software industry, which will make it difficult for smaller companies and individual developers to operate.
Patents in most fields in practice usually affect only factories, patents that apply to software tie the hands of every computer user. Only a tremendous public benefit could justify this imposition, but the actual effect of software patents is harmful.
For the good of the software industry and computer users both, we call for a Federal law to exclude software implementations running on general purpose computer hardware from the coverage of any patent.
Please see the following links for more information:
http://www2.linuxjournal.com/articles/currents/003.html
http://users.erols.com/gcasamen/software-patents
http://antipatents.8m.com/software-patents.html
http://www.researchoninnovation.org/patent.pdf
NOTE: This petition is limited to the US voters in order to have the maximum effect in the United States. If software patents are a problem in your country you are free to use the text of this petition to start a petition for your country.
13963 Signatures
-
Hans Christoffer Lee S
- City, State
- Seattle WA
- Comments
- Patenting Software increases the chances of the monopolization of the whole computer industry.
-
Jeffrey A. K
- City, State
- Overland Park, KS
-
jason l
- City, State
- bedford, tx.
-
James Lee H
- City, State
- Clearfield, UT
-
Gary H
- City, State
- Bozeman, MT
-
Joe R
- City, State
- Arlington, Texas
-
John L. R
- City, State
- Julian, California
-
Ismael R
- City, State
- Takoma Park Maryland
- Comments
- Very true software can't be compared to a physical invention, because new software is usually based on older software or ideas and therefore by placing patents on software it hinders its development!
-
Joseph F. M
- City, State
- Cumberland, MD
-
Jason Eugene M
- City, State
- Richmond, VA
-
Jeremy E
- City, State
- Geneseo, NY
-
James M. G
- City, State
- Los Angeles, CA
- Comments
- К
-
James H
- City, State
- Kings Park, NY
-
William A. Havanki, J
- City, State
- Bowie, Maryland
-
John M. W
- City, State
- Lorena, Texas
-
John Z
- City, State
- San Antonio, Texas
-
Jefferson L. K
- City, State
- Plaistow, New Hampshire
-
Heather D
- City, State
- London, UK
- Comments
- non domicile USA citizen
-
Joseph W
- City, State
- Wichita, Kansas
- Comments
- please call for detailed points 316-685-7172
-
J Aaron F
- City, State
- Pittsburgh, PA
-
John A
- City, State
- Attleboro, Massachusetts
-
Joseph C
- City, State
- Deltona, FL
- Comments
- programmer
-
Joseph T
- City, State
- Millbury, OH
- Comments
- Software should not be patented!!!
-
Joe H
- City, State
- Natick, MA
- Comments
- my customers would be served better if my industry (software) did not have patents.
-
Joe B
- City, State
- Kyle, Tx
-
Joel Ray H
- City, State
- San Angelo, Texas
-
Christopher Michael L
- City, State
- Nashville, TN
-
John D. R
- City, State
- Pelzer, SC
-
John E
- City, State
- San Bernardino, CA
-
john s
- City, State
- mountain view, ca
-
John A
- City, State
- College Park, MD
- Comments
- Patents were not meant to cover pure thought. Algorithms are pure thought and should not be patentable, even if they're used on a computer, and even if real-world meaning is given to the data used in and generated by the algorithm.
-
Jonathan A. K
- City, State
- San Antonio, TX
-
John S
- City, State
- Urbana, IL
- Comments
- Software patents are more of a liability than a help in our field given the fast pace of progress. This is evidenced by many noteworthy software patents that many feel should not have been granted at all. Patents stifle all but rich corporations that can afford to go through the patenting process.
-
James H
- City, State
- Austin, TX
- Comments
- I'm not afraid to share.
-
James Cheezem, J
- City, State
- Grenville, SC
-
James N
- City, State
- Elgin, IL
-
JAMES T
- City, State
- CHAPEL HILL, NC
-
Jonathan F
- City, State
- Arlington, MA
-
Jamund F
- City, State
- bothell, washington
- Comments
- Please disallow software patents.
-
Clark J
- City, State
- Torrance, CA
-
Jonathan R
- City, State
- Oakland CA
- Comments
- Software patents are a bad idea in general, and the US Patent and Trademark office has managed them badly.
-
Jon S
- City, State
- Newburyport, MA
-
dan h
- City, State
- menlo park, california
- Comments
- i vote in every election. for the good of the country, we need to end patents on software.
-
Jordan M
- City, State
- Austin, TX
-
Jared D
- City, State
- Orlando, Florida
-
James E. H
- City, State
- Clayton
-
Jason L E
- City, State
- Orlando, FL
-
Jason B
- City, State
- Longview, TX
-
Jason B
- City, State
- La Habra, Ca
-
Jason S
- City, State
- Amarillo, TX
-
13963
Signatures! - View Signatures
- Sign Petition