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Difference between revisions of "Banning software patents"
(- declare that use and distribution of software can never constitute infringement) |
(It looks promising but has received the decades of scrutiny that the exclusion approach has.) |
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* [[Shielding software from litigation]] - declare that use and distribution of software can never constitute infringement | * [[Shielding software from litigation]] - declare that use and distribution of software can never constitute infringement | ||
| − | The latter is an alternative, suggested in 2012 | + | The latter is an alternative, suggested in 2012. It looks promising but has received the decades of scrutiny that the exclusion approach has. |
| + | |||
| + | A third way would be to [[Harm caused by all types of patents|abolish the entire patent system]], for all domains, but this would require many times more work and there's no consensus on whether it's a good idea. There are advantages in [[Why focus only on software|focusing only on software]]. | ||
For advice about terminology, see: | For advice about terminology, see: | ||
Revision as of 17:32, 1 September 2013
There are two ways to write a law that would protect software developers, users, and distributors from patents:
- Excluding software from patentability - exclude software from the subject matter that can be patented
- Shielding software from litigation - declare that use and distribution of software can never constitute infringement
The latter is an alternative, suggested in 2012. It looks promising but has received the decades of scrutiny that the exclusion approach has.
A third way would be to abolish the entire patent system, for all domains, but this would require many times more work and there's no consensus on whether it's a good idea. There are advantages in focusing only on software.
For advice about terminology, see:
