“Will open source software development be smothered by the
patents avalanche or help to end it?…”
“Aren’t patent registration and enforcement just business as
usual? Doesn’t the owner of a patent have the right to exercise it
at will? Yes, of course. But the issues related to this news are
not about the patent system per se. They revolve around the
questionable validity of specific patents and their effect on
software development in general — and especially, perhaps, the
development of open source software.”
“According to the text of most patent legislation, the main
purpose of the patent system is not to protect inherent, abstract
rights, but to enhance the common good by promoting the advancement
of the arts and sciences. The system works like this: The
government grants inventors legal monopolies over specific
inventions and helps enforce the monopolies. In return, inventors
agree to publish the details of their inventions and relinquish
control over the inventions after a specified period of time.”