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Patents are just getting pathetic
by YaManicKill ·
Ok, what is the point of patents? Now, here I thought patents were to stop big corporations stealing little peoples ideas and selling more than them and running them out of business. Is that, or is that not, the idea of patents?
Today I heard the news that Kodak are sueing Apple and RIM about image processing and image viewing. I, to be honest, think this is pretty pathetic. How are Apple and RIM doing image processing and viewing that Kodak do in their cameras going to affect kodak??? Would you use a cameraphone over a camera? And if so, would you buy a camera if they didn’t quite process them the same way? No you wouldn’t. How is this going to affect Kodak if they didn’t file this.
Software patents are so pathetic. Can you think of the last time you heard of a patent that was decent? I know that software patents aren’t valid in Europe (citation needed), but they are in general a stupid idea. The fact that you can patent an idea, for example apple getting a patent on docks, an unknown company getting a patent on podcasts and another company getting a patent on an xml-based way of saving word processing documents. Are any of these good? No…they are not. They are all stupid. What happens if I code something that is patented, that I honestly thought up all by myself. Does that mean I shouldn’t be allowed to use it? Really? What gives them the right to use it when I thought of it, just a wee bit later than them.
What do you think, internets? Do you agree?
**Edit** Just to prove my point, turns out apple just applied for a patent to “add a contact to a homescreen.” It probably won’t go through, as android and also symbian, already can do that. But still, it shows the patheticness of patents.
January 14th, 2010 at 22:39
Some would argue that the intent of patents is now outdated (see SFLC).
January 14th, 2010 at 23:30
Yeah, kinda what I was getting at
January 15th, 2010 at 04:11
I dont think you realise how bad they are, i worked for SAP Research and people were trying to put patents on public key private key authentication when they have not even ever used SSH!!!!
January 15th, 2010 at 13:57
I understand the need for securing patents.
For things that truly novel then I understand the want to patent that idea. Patents lapse after a time, it is mainly a way of securing a lead in the market. Securing the lead in the market is not anti-competive, it promotes further innovation.
January 15th, 2010 at 14:02
Ok, sometimes there may be a reason for a patent, but I feel that the way they have gone is nothing like what they were meant to be origionally. Tell me the last time you heard of a decent patent (one that was truly ground breaking). How many times do we hear about big companies trying to squash smaller companies by sueing them out of existance with patents.
Patents in their current for are terrible, especially for software. Again I ask if it is fair that they get to patent an “idea” just because they thought about it first. If I honestly code something similar but because they did it first, should I not be allowed to use it???
Patents do not encourage innovation. They scare people away from innovation. Just incase they infringe on someones patent. It is stupid.
January 15th, 2010 at 21:02
I think software patents should be banned!
I believe it will become detrimental to software development.
Rekon we should start a new site – http://www.bansoftwarepatents.com