IBM calls for patent reform

[Martijn Meijering]

REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl

"IBM has called for tighter regulation of patents and a review of
intellectual property ownership issues in collaborative software
development.

Big Blue -- one of the largest patent-holders in the United States --
detailed its position at a media event in New York last week. Jim
Stallings, vice-president, intellectual property and standards, launched
an attack on the current patent process, arguing the methods adopted by
the United States Patent office are flawed.

"There has been a dramatic increase in the number of filings of patents
recently, around the world, but particularly in the United States,"
Stallings said.

"What's happened is it's challenged examiners' ability to inspect history,
so the bias has been towards granting the patent," he said. "There is a
process for after it is granted to challenge it. It's a very weak process.
We are saying that process needs to be enhanced. It should not only be the
job of the examiner, which is an individual, to grant that patent and to
inspect prior art"."
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/0,39023165,39187609,00.htm

Een en ander werd redelijk positief ontvangen door de techneuten op Slashdot:
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/04/11/0536255

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