Patents do not protect small firms, says trade body

"Patents do not give protection to inventive small businesses because they are impossible to enforce, an organisation claiming to represent small technology companies has said.

"In an open letter (two-page/486KB PDF) to Government ministers, the group said that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are not able to take advantage of the protection offered by patents.

""Some of your ... announcements demonstrate Whitehall's continued ignorance of the real issues facing Britain's largest group of innovators, SMEs," said the letter from the SME Innovation Alliance (SMEIA) to Chancellor George Osborne and Business Secretary Vince Cable."

Complete Story

Related Stories:

• Novell's patents bought by Microsoft, Apple, EMC, & Oracle(Dec 16, 2010)
• Ars Technica: Paul Allen's patent infringement lawsuit dismissed(Dec 14, 2010)
• FSF essay argues freedom over quality(Dec 14, 2010)
• Google's Motion to Dismiss Paul Allen's Patent Infringement Complaint Granted(Dec 13, 2010)
• Intellectual Ventures Sues Over Security Patents(Dec 11, 2010)
• About Those 882 Novell Patents: This is Where OIN Comes In(Dec 08, 2010)