I had reported last year about a patent application in the United States that tried to obtain protection for a movie plot. The application is by one Mr Andrew Knight, who believes the USPTO should be granting patents for unique and inventive movie ideas. His website contains a brief explanation Read more
(via Video Game Blog). The Board of Appeals of the European Patent Office has allowed a number of claims in a European patent application by games firm Konami (EP20060013875). The application is for a “Video game system and storage medium for storing program for use in the video game system”. Read more
There seems to be a new software patent conflict in the European air as a result of the European Patent Litigation Agreement (EPLA). The EPLA is a project by the members states of the European Patent Convention, and it is being organised by the European Patent Office. The EPLA will Read more
I have been enjoying watching the Dragon’s Den on BBC2. This is a TV program where inventors pitch their ideas to a group of potential investors. The combination of wacky inventions, nervous pitches, colourful personalities and some memorable put-downs make this a quite enjoyable program. Last night’s winner was one Read more
Apple is settling a patent dispute with Creative, the makers of rival digital player ZEN. According to reports, Apple will pay $100 million USD to Creative in an amicable solution to the patent infringement suit. Creative Technology owns U.S. patent 6,928,433 which protects an “Automatic hierarchical categorization of music by Read more
(via Jordan Hatcher) Blackboard, the maker of educational software applications, has managed to patent e-learning. At first I thought that this was an exaggeration, nobody could claim such a broad patent as to cover e-learning, right? Behold U.S. Patent 6,988,138, which protects “Internet-based education support system and methods”. The title Read more
A couple of noteworthy developments in the European software patent debate. Firstly, the European Commission has criticised the European Patent Office harshly as lacking political accountability. The lack of accountability has allowed the EPO to change policy so that it permits the issuing of software and business methods patents. Secondly, Read more
Florian Müller, the founder of the NoSoftwarePatents.com campaign, has published his long-awaited testimonial of his role in the amazing story of the software patent war in Europe. The book is entitled “No Lobbyists As Such – The War over Software Patents in the European Union”, and it is now available Read more
I have been surprised by the coverage given to a small comment by a member of the EU Commission with regards to a question with regards to software patents. The full answer from the Commission can be found here. Most of the press reports are inaccurate, as usual. Yours truly Read more
One of the main arguments against software patents is that it reduces innovation and generates unnecessary litigation. Microsoft has been suffering considerably from software patent litigation, perhaps because they are the largest and juiciest target for patent trolls and for patent owners interested in reducing MS market power. Symantec is Read more