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[Office-commits] r9901 - trunk/campaigns/patents


From: sysadmin
Subject: [Office-commits] r9901 - trunk/campaigns/patents
Date: Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:05:23 -0400

Author: johns
Date: Thu Oct  1 13:05:15 2009
New Revision: 9901

Log:
Progress

Modified:
   trunk/campaigns/patents/bilski-supreme-court-brief.mdwn

Modified: trunk/campaigns/patents/bilski-supreme-court-brief.mdwn
==============================================================================
--- trunk/campaigns/patents/bilski-supreme-court-brief.mdwn     Thu Oct  1 
13:04:26 2009        (r9900)
+++ trunk/campaigns/patents/bilski-supreme-court-brief.mdwn     Thu Oct  1 
13:05:15 2009        (r9901)
@@ -1,31 +1,92 @@
-FSF files anti-software-patent brief in Supreme Court case Bilski
+## FSF files brief in Bilski case calling on the Supreme Court to eliminate 
software patents
+
+BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA -- Thursday, October 1, 2009 -- The Free
+Software Foundation (FSF) today submitted an amicus curiae brief
+calling on the Supreme Court to remove software ideas from the scope
+of patentable subject matter. While clearly showing that patents
+threaten all software development, the FSF's brief emphasizes the
+impact that the free software movement and the GNU General Public
+License (GNU GPL) have had on computer use in both the private and
+public sectors, in spite of this threat.
+
+The FSF founder Richard Stallman and the free software movement have
+been campaigning against software patents since the late 1980s. (Need
+a sentence about Bilski history here -- mention that we filed a brief
+previously as well, and brief background about the case.) This is the
+Supreme Court's first review of patentable scope since 1981's *Diamond
+v. Diehr*.
+
+Ciaran O'Riordan, executive director of the End Software Patents
+campaign, explained, "Every software patent is something you can't use
+your computer to do, that is to say, in the USA today there are
+100,000 (GET REAL NUMBER - from Patent Failure or maybe Bessen & Hunt)
+things you're prohibited from doing with your computer. Since then,
+software patents have proven to be a economic failure too, and by
+hindering the progress of the useful arts, they've failed the
+consitutional mandate that created them. The Supreme Court has itself
+never authorized the patenting of software ideas, so there's real hope
+that this problem can finally be solved."
+
+Getting information about the GPL and free software in front of the
+Supreme Court
+
+Quote from the interest section of the brief
+
+Quote from the argument section of the brief
+
+O'Riordan also credited the free software community for its help in
+preparing the brief, saying, "Much of the material for this brief came
+from our public wiki at swpat.org. For each point we decided to make,
+we used the wiki to find references and quotes and further information
+-- and I hope other brief drafters found it useful too. If anyone
+wants to help, then building the wiki is the easiest way to get
+involved."
+
+The full text of the brief is available online at
+<http://endsoftpatents.org/amicus-bilski-2009>.
+
+### About the End Software Patents campaign
+
+End Software Patents is a project formed to eliminate patents for
+software and other designs with no physically innovative step. It
+promotes a US technology-development environment which will drive
+innovation and growth in the global marketplace. End Software Patents
+receives sponsorship from the Free Software Foundation. For more
+information on participating in the project, or to access its
+knowledge base, please visit its website at
+<http://endsoftpatents.org>.
+
+### About the Free Software Foundation
+
+The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to
+promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and
+redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and
+use of free (as in freedom) software -- particularly the GNU operating
+system and its GNU/Linux variants -- and free documentation for free
+software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and
+political issues of freedom in the use of software, and its Web sites,
+located at fsf.org and gnu.org, are an important source of information
+about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at
+<http://donate.fsf.org>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.
+
+### About Free Software and Open Source
+
+The free software movement's goal is freedom for computer users. Some,
+especially corporations, advocate a different viewpoint, known as
+"open source," which cites only practical goals such as making
+software powerful and reliable, focuses on development models, and
+avoids discussion of ethics and freedom. These two viewpoints are
+different at the deepest level. For more explanation, see
+<http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html>.
+
+### Media Contacts
+
+Ciaran O'Riordan  
+Executive Director, End Software Patents  
+PHONE  
+EMAIL  
+
+
+ ###
 
-Replying to the consultation for the Supreme Court's first review of
-patentable scope since 1981's Diamond v. Diehr, FSF has submitted an
-Amicus Curiae brief making out the case for clearly excluding software
-ideas.  Every software patent is something you can't use your computer
-to do, that is to say, in the USA today there are 100,000 (GET REAL
-NUMBER - from Patent Failure or maybe Bessen & Hunt) things you're
-prohibited from doing with your computer.
-
-The social problems of software patents were foreseen in the late 80s
-by people like Richard Stallman.  Since then, software patents have
-proven to be a economic failure too, and by hindering rather than
-promoting the progress of the useful arts, they've failed their
-consitutional mandate and are thus clearly not even legally
-legitimate.  As detailed in the brief, the Supreme Court has itself
-never authorised the patenting of software ideas, so there's real hope
-that this problem can finally be solved.
-
-ESP's ED Ciaran says: "A lot of the material for this brief came from
-the public swpat.org wiki.  For each point we decided to make, we used
-the wiki to find references and quotes and further information - and I
-hope other brief drafters found it useful too.  If anyone wants to
-help, then building the wiki is the easiest way to get involved."
-
-Interestingly, another software expert who saw early on how software
-patents could be abused is Bill Gates.  While Stallman set up a
-campaigns group, Gates told his team to start "patenting as much as we
-can".
 
-The URL that ESP will use for the brief will be: 
http://endsoftpatents.org/amicus-bilski-2009




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