ESP Wiki is looking for moderators and active contributors!

South Africa

In South Africa, software patents are criticised by politicians, granted by the patent office,[1] but have never been examined by a court.[2]

Criticism from Minister

In 2008, the Minister for Public Service and Administration, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, described software patents as an[3]:

issue which pose a considerable threat the growth of the African software sector” and how there had been “recent pressure by certain multinational corporations to file software patents in our national and regional patent offices. Whereas free software and open standards are intended to be open and encourage competition, patents are exclusive and anti-competitive by their nature.”

“Whereas there are some industries where the temporary monopoly granted by a patent may be justified … there’s no reason to believe that society benefits from such monopolies being granted for computer programs [and inventions],”

The minister said that the “continued growth in the quantity and quality of free software illustrates that such protection is not required to drive innovation in software. Indeed, all of the current so-called developed countries built up their considerable software industries in the absence of software patents. For those same countries to insist on software patents now is simply to place patents as barriers in front of newcomers.

“African software developers have enough barriers as it is without the introduction of artificial restrictions on what programs they are and aren’t allowed to write,”

Patent office decisions

South Africa has an unusual "non-examination" system regarding the approval of patent applications.[4][5] Their standard patents are thus similar to the Utility models and innovation patents available in other countries.

Microsoft has been granted over 300 patents in South Africa, most of which are for software ideas.[6]

Legislation

Here's the legislation in South Africa on patentable subject matter, from section 25 of the Patent Act, Act 57 of 1978:[7]

25. Patentable inventions

(1) A patent may, subject to the provisions of this section, be granted for any new invention which involves an inventive step and which is capable of being used or applied in trade and industry or agriculture.
(2) Anything which consists of:
(a) a discovery;
(b) a scientific theory;
(c) a mathematical method;
(d) a scheme, rule or method for performing a mental act, playing a game or doing business;
(f) a program for a computer; or
(g) the presentation of information, shall not be an invention for the purposes of this Act.
(3) The provisions of subsection (2) shall prevent, only to the extent to which a patent or an application for a patent relates to that thing as such, anything from being treated as an invention for the purposes of this Act.

External links

References


Economic Regions
Africa Harare Protocol participants Botswana · Eswatini · Gambia · Ghana · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Malawi · Mozambique · Namibia · Rwanda · São Tomé and Príncipe · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Sudan · Tanzania · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe
Bangui Agreement participants Benin · Burkina Faso · Cameroon · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · Congo · Ivory Coast · Equatorial Guinea · Gabon · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Mali · Mauritania · Niger · Senegal · Togo
Algeria · Angola · Burundi · Cape Verde · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Djibouti · Egypt · Eritrea · Ethiopia · Libya · Magadascar · Mauritius · Nigeria · Somalia · South Africa · South Sudan*
North America Antigua and Barbuda · The Bahamas · Barbados · Canada · Dominica · Dominican Republic · Haiti · Grenada · Guatemala · Jamaica · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Trinidad and Tobago · United States
Central & South America Andean Community members Bolivia · Colombia · Ecuador · Peru
Argentina · Belize · Brazil · Chile · Costa Rica · Cuba · El Salvador · Guatemala · Guyana · Honduras · Jamaica · Mexico · Nicaragua · Panama · Paraguay · Uruguay · Venezuela · Suriname
Asia Eurasian Patent Convention participants Armenia · Azerbaijan · Belarus · Kazakhstan · Kyrgyzstan · Tajikistan · Turkmenistan · Russia
Afghanistan · Bangladesh · Bhutan · Brunei · China · Georgia · India · Indonesia · Japan · Laos · Malaysia · Maldives · Mongolia · Myanmar · Nepal · Pakistan · Philippines · Singapore · North Korea · South Korea · Sri Lanka · Taiwan · Thailand · East Timor · Uzbekistan · Vietnam
Europe
European Patent Convention participants
Unified Patent Court parties
and Unitary Patent participants
Austria · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Cyprus · Czech Republic · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Italy · Ireland · Latvia · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Malta · Montenegro · Netherlands · Portugal · Romania · Slovakia · Slovenia · Sweden
Unitary Patent participants Poland
Unitary patent for Switzerland and Liechtenstein Liechtenstein · Switzerland
Albania · Cambodia · Croatia · Kosovo · North Macedonia · Moldova · Monaco · Morocco · Norway · San Marino · Serbia · Spain · Tunisia · United Kingdom · Turkey
Andorra · Ukraine · Vatican City
Middle East Gulf Cooperation Council members Bahrain · Kuwait · Oman · Qatar · Saudi Arabia · United Arab Emirates
Iran · Iraq · Israel · Jordan · Lebanon · Palestine · Syria · Yemen
Oceania Australia · Cook Islands · Micronesia* · Fiji · Kiribati · Marshall Islands · Nauru · New Zealand · Niue · Palau* · Papua New Guinea · Samoa · Solomon Islands · Tonga · Tuvalu · Vanuatu
All countries are members of the World Intellectual Property Organization except those marked with an asterisk (*).