Invalidating harmful patents

(Note: Risks of supporting partial solutions)

By invalidating the most harmful software patents, we can reduce some real harm being done by software patents.

Limits to effectiveness

1. Patents can only be invalidated if they are invalid to begin with.
2. We can only invalidate a small number of patents. This can never solve the problem caused by the existence of tens of thousands of patents.
3. Some software patent pests have a large collection of annoying patents they could use instead if their favourite patents were invalidated. For example, Microsoft accused TomTom of violating eight patents. The patents look invalid, but if they are invalidated there's still the worry that Microsoft will choose some other of its 10,000 patents to continue the menace.

See also

• Prior art database - this is one method that can be targeted at invalidating specific patents

External links

• EFF's project: "patent busting"
• If We Can't End Software Patents Tomorrow, What Should We Do In the Meantime?, by Bradley M. Kuhn