EFF goes after bogus software patents

For years I've thought that granting patents on software is a bad idea - it stifles innovation and turns the development over to lawyers instead of technologists.

Now the EFF has announced The Patent Busting Project.

Patents traditionally only targeted large commercial companies," said EFF Staff Attorney Jason Schultz. "Now bad patents are threatening non-profits, small businesses, and even individuals who use software and Internet technology." These threats target non-commercial personal use, such as building a hobbyist website or streaming a wedding video to your friends.

The new EFF initiative seeks to document these threats and fight back against them. EFF has pledged to file "re-examination" requests with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), asking the agency to revoke patents that are having negative effects on Internet innovation and free expression.

Reference: Bitlaw's History of Software Patents