Battleangel

IBM frees 500 software patents, though it should be noted that they supposedly hold more than 40.000 patents all in all. The official statement adds that they are devoted to ushering in a ‘new era in how IBM will manage intellectual property’. But it is important news since IBM is the biggest US patent holder and probably one of the world’s biggest collector of intellectual property.

The European software patent issue doesn’t quite go away either. MEPs are demanding a restart of the legislative process. Or another shot at pushing the patent law thru. Or a way making sure to finally decide the issue while opinion swings the right way and make it legally binding. Honestly, who knows whats going on in the Parliament. Whether it’s good or bad, for me, in the end. Florian Mueller notes that the “European Patent Convention explicitly excludes patents on computer programs, but an estimated number of more than 30,000 such patents have been granted in Europe nonetheless.” Some legal clarity would be appreciated. I would have favored waiting it out (as Mueller also points out, there is nothing wrong with the current laws) but since big biz is going behind our backs anyway we apparently have to defeat them in their own courtrooms, slap their fingers to set the record straight.