[ Thanks to Linux User &
Developer magazine for this link. ]
“A group of US companies including Red Hat, Yahoo,
eBay, Electronic Arts, General Motors and HP, have joined together
to challenge a recent ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
Federal Circuit, which threatens to seriously exacerbate problems
in the already highly controversial software patent system within
the United States.“The group has filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking
correction of the standard for inducing patent infringement,
relating to the case of Global-Tech Appliances, Inc v. SEB S.A.
Under the existing ruling, the Court of Appeals held that
organisations and individuals can be held liable and prosecuted for
infringing patents of which they have no knowledge. It used a
standard of “deliberate indifference,” which it then equated to
negligence.”