Supreme Court Rules Software Patents Invalid-Without Ever Mentioning Software Once In the Decision

Posted by khalling 10 years, 10 months ago to Technology
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"What this means is that companies like Apple, IBM, Microsoft, Google and others have had the value of their patent portfolios nearly completely erased today. If they wish to remain compliant with Sarbanes Oxley and other laws and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission they will need to level with their shareholders and tell them that their patent portfolios have been decimated."

db is on a plane headed to the Atlas Summit to give a talk about Galt as Inventor. When he gets off the plane, this news will greet him. Imagine a MODERN patent system understanding the manufacturing age but not the information age....

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  • Posted by khalling 10 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I completely agree. But I am allowed on my post to point out the differences between Objectivism and Anarchism.
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  • Posted by khalling 10 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I did not state there could be no debate. Where did you read that? I simply made the distinction between the site and what you are promoting. Debate away...
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  • Posted by khalling 10 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I disagree . I did not state it was the number one reason for the site, but the whole point is to bring people to Atlas Shrugged. That book is chock full of stuff regarding Objectivism. There's this little speech....Capitalism and anarchy do not mix
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  • Posted by Solver 10 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    "1-Click, also called one-click or one-click buying, is the technique of allowing customers to make online purchases with a single click, with the payment information needed to complete the purchase already entered by the user previously."

    I wouldn't want my payment information stored in a cookie. No business that wants to stay in business would store its customer payment information there either.

    Either way, I don't use one click. I prefer "Two Clicks." I need a least a second click to confirm that what I'm buying and how I'm paying is correct.
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  • Posted by Robbie53024 10 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    And because most here participate in and appreciate honest and rational debate, and aren't merely mind numbed knobs marching in lockstep to their goddess AR.
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  • Posted by Robbie53024 10 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Actually, if you go down the list of topic headings, nearly anything is "fair game" for discussion/debate (and nearly everything has been!).
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  • Posted by $ CBJ 10 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I did. See my reply to you. A major purpose of the Gulch is to *debate* issues, not march in lockstep. The issue of patents concerns a specific application of Ayn Rand's political philosophy, is an appropriate subject for debate, and thus qualifies as a legitimate subject to discuss in the Gulch.
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  • Posted by j_IR1776wg 10 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    ..".2.We have ideas to spread - We're passionate about Ayn Rand's ideas and we hope to assist in their progress by engaging in some inspired conversation"." If you are not here to promote Objectivism, then why are you here?
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  • Posted by Herb7734 10 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Looks like they have the intent but lack the knowledge. The marvel of technology can become the monster of technology to those who fail to understand that there can be such a thing as intangible property.
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  • Posted by $ jlc 10 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I think we will have to disagree. To the best of my knowledge there is no patent on the concept of a steering wheel nor the concept of a paper file folder nor the concept of alphabetical order. For someone now to retrospectively patent one of those concepts would be egregious. We, and all other software developers I have known, make use of the gui equivalents of those concepts to steer, file, and organize the visual presentation of data. The use of these commonalities allows the user of a new utility or program to instinctively know what to do as certainly as knowing how to turn the pages of a book or turn on a light.

    The fact that we are a bootstrap company who has worked our way up in the world - as have many other companies, as you point out - indicates that we are producers of a product that we sell for our living. This has nothing to do with whether or not we use a slidebar or radio buttons. It has nothing to do with need. It does have to do with the fact that we are earning our living. We produce a valuable product. Please do not refer to us as moochers.

    Jan
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  • Posted by Zenphamy 10 years, 10 months ago
    I just finished reading the entire decision. In the specific case that was brought to the court, I happen to agree. True, it will require more analysis and work by those seeking patents, but to a large extent and speaking as an Electrical Engineer that's sought patents in the past, that's a good thing. The granting of a monopoly should require not only the innovative work of the inventor, but also a rigorous and thorough review process of the application. And it should never be granted for such a use as applied for in this application. This was not an invention.
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  • Posted by $ jbrenner 10 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    With any change in the business climate, there are opportunities.

    Regardless of one's rules for living, one must always be willing to live with oneself after each decision and be willing to live with the consequences of the decision. I'll call this jbrenner's corollary to A = A.

    If you and db "become part of the machine", it will be not a concession to the ways of the world, but rather another step in shrugging.

    Indeed, who is John Galt?
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  • Posted by Robbie53024 10 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    You are wrong. Below is from the "About" section of the site - copied verbatim.


    Welcome to Galt's Gulch

    The Official Atlas Shrugged Movie "Collective"

    The Producers of the movies hang out in here pretty regularly so don't hesitate to engage and ask real questions or bring some real commentary.

    We're very much looking forward to giving you as much behind-the-scenes access as possible and hearing from you along the way. We'll be reading everything so, be good.



    OUR PURPOSE:
    1.We have movies to promote - Atlas Shrugged Part II is now out on DVD and Blu-ray and, Part III will soon be in theaters. We need to get the word out and we want to employ your help.
    2.We have ideas to spread - We're passionate about Ayn Rand's ideas and we hope to assist in their progress by engaging in some inspired conversation.
    3.We have connections to facilitate - Have you ever wished you lived in the Gulch and could conduct value-for-value exchanges exclusively with like minded individuals? Us too. Let's.
    =============

    Nowhere there do I see that this is an Objectivist site. It does say that "we," that means all of us on the site, have ideas to spread. If you cannot accept that there are members here in the Gulch with their own ideas, then I'd advise you to find another O collective (and I mean that in the collectivist spirit as I find those sites a true bastion of collectivism). There are several of them out there.
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  • Posted by $ CBJ 10 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    According to the home page, "Galt's Gulch is a community of like-minded individuals who come together regularly to share interesting content and ideas with each other and debate politics, economics, philosophy and more." It doesn't say anything about "promoting" a particular viewpoint.
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  • Posted by j_IR1776wg 10 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    This site is promoting Ayn Rand;s philosophy called Objectivism. The Atlas Shrugged trilogy is merely a vehicle for doing so.
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  • Posted by $ jbrenner 10 years, 10 months ago
    As much as I agree with khalling on this one, Wall Street's reaction to this was pretty ho-hum.

    Including after hours trading:
    Apple down 0.47% today
    Google down 0.05% today
    Microsoft up 0.39% today
    IBM down 0.54% today
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  • Posted by khalling 10 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    opportunity.
    We do not litigate. We will be counseling our clients on this ruling. We will be informing them of their opportunity costs in filing applications. What do you think? db could tomorrow become part of the "machine" and represent clients(big ones and bad decision makers) fighting against this ruling....who is john galt?
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  • Posted by $ CBJ 10 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Name-calling is not an argument. And for the record, I'm an advocate of limited government and *legitimate* property rights, which patents are not.
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  • Posted by Robbie53024 10 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Please take a deep breath. There might be some patent haters here, but those of us with a different perspective on this story aren't such.
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  • Posted by $ jbrenner 10 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I agree with you, khalling. I do understand why others think the way they do about software. The 10% rule with regard to patents refers to "If you change something by 10%, you can patent it". When it comes to software, this has been abused. When Microsoft came up with Windows, it was a blatant copy of Apple's GUI, which of course Xerox handed Apple on a silver platter. The problem that needs correcting is that the substantive improvements of one technology over another need to be considerably more distinct than they are allowed to be currently. In the software field, there is not much difference that is permissible regarding how to display something, and patenting a logic package is difficult, too. The software field definitely is one of, if not the, most nebulous when it comes to patent distinctions. One of my master's students left a patent clerk job to come work with me. Now she is going back to earning significantly more money in the patent business. Are you interested in hiring anyone for your patent business?
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  • Posted by khalling 10 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    you are an anarchist. This is a site promoting Objectivism. The philosophy of Objectivism logically refutes anarchy
    Reply | Permalink  

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