Groklaw: Study Says 30% of Patents Are Duplicative and Thus Invalid

“The Economist has an article on IBM’s recent patent pledge,
whereby it is granting open source developers the right to freely
use without royalties 500 of IBM’s patents for open source
development. The article calls it ‘a bold step that could have
far-reaching implications for the computer industry.’ Then it
begins to explain how the current patent system is strangling
innovation:

“Indeed, there are good reasons for believing that today’s
system of granting patents is stifling innovation, not encouraging
it. Patent offices around the world have never been busier…”

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