The goal of granting patents is not just to guard intelletual property; patents require disclosure, which means that after the patents expire everyone can apply the techniques in the patent to their own work.
As usual, any idea can serve an evil purpose. Some firms purchase old patents that have fallen into disuse and then suddenly turn around and sue companies for infringement. Another problem is software patents; software engineers are leery of the recent rash of software patents, which often cover techniques which they consider completely obvious.
To keep the lines of innovation open, some software companies announced a patent pool called the Open Invention Network, which will act as a patent pool. By taking the ownership of the patents out of the hands of individual companies — by breaking the link between invidual companies and software techniques — they hope to prevent companies from using patents to stifle competition.
What I find quite puzzling is a press report that Microsoft is in the pool. The very same report notes that Microsoft recently attempted to cast fear, uncertainty, and doubt ("FUD") on Linux as they have done before, this time by announcing that Linux violated Microsoft patents. Since the Open Invention Network will provide strong benefits to Linux, I'll be really surprised if the Microsoft shark enters the patent pool.
Topics: · computing · intellectual+property
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