arstechnica.com — A new ruling from the Supreme Court says that patents cannot be granted if they fail a test of obviousness. Although it may disappoint some companies with hefty patent portfolios, it's good news for a patent system in dire need of reform.
Apr 30, 2007 View in Crawl 4
gmorganApr 30, 2007
I know somebody in the OSS world tried to patent the process of applying for a patent.
Closed AccountApr 30, 2007
Most importantly (in my worldview), this could have huge ramifications for the pharmaceutical industry. Minor modifications to chemicals that do little to change the effects of a drug may no longer be patentable if they are obvious (and many are). Do you have a drug that is heat sensitive, and think you can get another 18 years of protection by making it heat resistant? Depending on what is needed to make the change, you may be out of luck - and the rest of the world may be in luck.
Closed AccountApr 30, 2007
It's actually pretty interesting to see who lined up on which side of the argument. It seems that the "good" side in this case consists of companies that build upon (and add value to) the innovations of others.
Closed AccountMay 1, 2007
Hate to break it to you, but I doubt they were on a "good" side...These big companies dont take stands unless they have personal interests.
teatimegrommitMay 8, 2007
It's not surprising that Microsoft and Cisco were on the "good" side. Both companies are trying to make products that people want. Whether you want MS products or not, or whether you hate MS for reasons of anticompetitive behavior towards Linux, Apple or what-not is immaterial to how MS sees itself; as an innovative company getting reamed by stupid MP3 patents.
teatimegrommitMay 8, 2007
I think big Pharma is more interested in patent law reform than it is in this case. The only way they'd lose a drug patent is if the _way_ that they make the drug heat resistant is already in the prior art. They're really good at steering clear of drugs that can't be easily patented / defended / profited from. I suspect that's why all those cures we were promised never happened. Pharma doesn't want cures. Pharma wants treatments that you have to take for the rest of your life.