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Difference between revisions of "Software patents harm SMEs"

(→‎Related pages on {{SITENAME}}: * Solidarity among campaigns against software patents‎)
(There are other problems. Sometimes these other problems are very real, but sometimes they're used by pro-software-patent campaigns in strange ways to distract politicians away from the main problems)
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{{navbox}}During the lobbying around the [[EU software patents directive]], representatives of small and medium enterprises were against [[software patents]].
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During the lobbying around the [[EU software patents directive]], representatives of small and medium enterprises were against [[software patents]].
  
 
==Reasons==
 
==Reasons==
  
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* SMEs can't afford to get patents. (See: [[costs of patenting]])
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The main problems are:
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* The patent [[Incompatible timespans|grant process is too slow]].  SMEs have to get to profitability quickly to survive.
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* SMEs can't afford to do patent searches to avoid patent risk.
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* SMEs can't afford to do [[Cost of patent searches to avoid infringement|patent searches to avoid patent risk]].
 
* SMEs can't afford to [[Costs are astronomically disproportionate for SMEs and individuals|defend themselves against patent litigation]], even if they're sure the patent is invalid.  They can't even [[Insurance against patent litigation doesn't work|get insurance]] against the risk of unintentional patent infringement (insurance companies know when a risk is too big to take on).
 
* SMEs can't afford to [[Costs are astronomically disproportionate for SMEs and individuals|defend themselves against patent litigation]], even if they're sure the patent is invalid.  They can't even [[Insurance against patent litigation doesn't work|get insurance]] against the risk of unintentional patent infringement (insurance companies know when a risk is too big to take on).
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* SMEs are [[Blocks competing software, reducing choice|blocked from entering certain markets]]
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There are other problems.  Sometimes these other problems are very real, but sometimes they're used by pro-software-patent campaigns in strange ways to distract politicians away from the main problems.  Focussing on these should be don with caution:
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* SMEs can't afford to get patents. (See: [[Cost of getting patents and maintaining them]])
 
* The cost of enforcing their own patents might exceed the size of revenue they would be trying to protect.
 
* The cost of enforcing their own patents might exceed the size of revenue they would be trying to protect.
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* The patent [[Incompatible timespans|grant process is too slow]].  SMEs have to get to profitability quickly to survive.
  
 
==Statements==
 
==Statements==

Revision as of 13:06, 22 October 2010

During the lobbying around the EU software patents directive, representatives of small and medium enterprises were against software patents.

Reasons

The main problems are:

There are other problems. Sometimes these other problems are very real, but sometimes they're used by pro-software-patent campaigns in strange ways to distract politicians away from the main problems. Focussing on these should be don with caution:

Statements

Studies

(See other studies on economics and innovation)

Related pages on ESP Wiki

External links

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