Software Patent Links for 2008-09-20

  • Chief Judge: Balski will be Very Significant [Patently-O] Chief Judge Michel is quoted: “One of the most important cases pending with the [Federal Circuit] today is In re Bilski…. ‘It’s a very interesting case and I thought all the judges worked very hard on it,’ says [Chief Judge] Michel. He adds: ‘I think it will be a very significant decision. It probably will have broader scope than either In re Comiskey or In re Nuijten”(tags: Patent Software)
  • Take patent policy away from lawyers, says Australian government report [IAM] The courts in Australia, conclude the authors of “Venturous Australia – Building Strength in Innovation” (Chapter 7, pages 83 to 87), have “overturned important ‘gatekeeping’ principles of the patent system that existed until the early 1980s”. In particular, they identify software and business methods as an issue, and state that large companies are using the patent system to build thickets that effectively keep competitors out of markets. Jeff Wild states, “The report may be specific to one country, but there is a lot in it that decision makers in other parts of the world could find attractive and persuasive. All patent owners should think through the implications of that very carefully.” (tags: Software Patents)