ESP Wiki is looking for moderators and active contributors!

Difference between revisions of "Blocking competing software"

m (Higher prices: Category:Arguments)
(recategorise)
Line 6: Line 6:
 
Software Freedom Law Center estimates that, since Microsoft has had to pay more than $4 billion due to patent suits, the users have ended up paying $20 per copy of Microsoft's Windows operating system.[http://www.softwarefreedom.org/resources/2007/patent-tax.html]
 
Software Freedom Law Center estimates that, since Microsoft has had to pay more than $4 billion due to patent suits, the users have ended up paying $20 per copy of Microsoft's Windows operating system.[http://www.softwarefreedom.org/resources/2007/patent-tax.html]
  
[[Category:How does this affect people]]
+
[[Category:Why it matters]]
 
[[Category:Arguments]]
 
[[Category:Arguments]]

Revision as of 16:43, 13 June 2009

Software patents reduce the number of features, they reduce the number of products (thus reducing competition), and they block compatibility between software packages.

Higher prices

The cost of all these patents has to be paid by someone, often the users.

Software Freedom Law Center estimates that, since Microsoft has had to pay more than $4 billion due to patent suits, the users have ended up paying $20 per copy of Microsoft's Windows operating system.[1]