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Open Source and Free Software

drm604

(16,230 posts)

1. If anything, software patents hinder innovation.

Reply to phantom power (Original post)

Sun Feb 3, 2013, 06:07 PM

Feb 2013

Imagine if Newton had to do a patent search for every calculus technique he invented.

Programmers simply don't bother. We can't possibly do a patent search on everything we do that might be novel. Not being patent attorneys, we don't have the expertise to even know what things are or are not potentially patentable. Is an especially complex regular expression patentable? If so, can I patent it or has someone else already done so?

Software development would come to a grinding halt if we stopped to worry about such things.

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Highlight:

How software patents are delaying the future [View all] phantom power Feb 2013 OP

If anything, software patents hinder innovation. drm604 Feb 2013 #1

agreed. Phillip McCleod Feb 2013 #2

"Patent" should stopped or not? RayCampbell Feb 2014 #3

Welcome to DU gopiscrap Feb 2014 #4

Patent trolls RayCampbell Feb 2014 #5