Patent That Becomes a Tool for Obstructing Innovation Needs to Go

Software patents have become an unnecessary obstruction to innovation. Company that used to oppose software patent are spending billions to acquire them (including Google). Small time developers (which could include open source and Smart-phones/Tablets Apps developer) are now being targeted. Software patent produces opposite effect of what patents are designed to do – i.e. promote innovation.It should therefore be abolished as soon as possible.

This Guardian article describe it well.

Patents are now a multibillion-dollar industry in which companies find it more attractive to make money suing each other for infringement than actually making things…..

Patents were supposed to protect innovation. Now they risk throttling it. ….software patents have provided no net benefit to the software industry, let alone to society as a whole…..

Tragically, because so many corporations which formerly opposed software patents have now joined the system, an effective solution will be harder to find. Once again consumers are pitted against the corporations. Where are the regulators when they are needed?

Apple Pulled Wikileaks Apps on Questionable Ground

Apple have pulled Wikileaks apps claiming it is illegal. However, U.S. government up to this point is still not able to state exactly what law Wikileak have violated. They might have to resort to passing new laws to make Wikileak illegal. But that would surely generate outcry from people who still care about free speech and free press.

Apple had also claimed that it might put individual or group in harm’s way. So far the media have been parsing what can and cannot be published so no individual have really been put in harm’s way. Although it does have the side effect of embarrassing government officials and forcing them to be more open and honest.

Update: Apple Insider have reviewed the Apple’s Store Review Guidelines found this line:

Apps that include the ability to make donations to recognized charitable organizations must be free” and “the collection of donations must be done via a website in Safari or an SMS”.

This was not the excuse given by Apple to Business Insider – they have  used the two mentioned earlier. And as PC World had pointed out , if that is the only reason, they could have informed the app developer. If this was the excuse used by Apple to begin with, then maybe it would have seem more legitimate.