Software patents are a proven bad idea. Yes, you read that correctly – a “proven” bad idea. There is no need to speculate or philosophise. A brief look at history will suffice. The software industry experienced decades of innovation before software patents existed and we have had decades to observe their impact since they were introduced. The results are in – they don’t work. Here are some snippets and links which explain why (new links will be added over time):
- Why I Am Against Software Patents
the patent system as applied to software today does not work, nor is there is any reasonable expectation that it will or could in future
- www.nosoftwarepatents.com
So it’s not that software patents are a necessary evil that realists learn to accept – they aren’t good at all. And the sooner we roll them back internationally the better.