Duds and non-solutions
The following are not solutions. Some are useful, but, despite good intentions and hard work, none will solve the problem, many are inefficient wastes of time, and some even make the situation worse.
Risk of misunderstanding
When we promote a partial solution, there's a risk that politicians or potential supporters will think that it's a complete solution. Thus a politician might support the partial initiative, and then, thinking that software patents can no longer be a problem, they might vote in favour of software patents.
They will have done exactly what they heard us say, and the outcome will be exactly what we were trying to avoid.
Thus, partial solutions should only be supported when you are sure that the person who will hear about your support for the initiative will also hear that this is not a solution - that it's maybe nice to have, but it's not at all what we're arguing for.
For ourselves, if we adopt a half measure as our goal, it will distract us from what we really need to fight for.
Examples
- Antitrust law is not solving the problems
- Buying harmful patents
- Change company patent policy
- Defensive patent acquisition
- Defensive patent pools
- Defensive publication and prior art databases
- Free software exception
- Insurance against patent litigation doesn't work
- Invalidating harmful patents
- Loser pays
- Patent clauses in software licences
- Patent review by the public
- Raising examination standards wouldn't fix much
- Suing makers of unfounded accusations
Related pages on ESP Wiki
External links
- Patent Reform Is Not Enough, by Richard Stallman
- The Conspiracy of Silence, in which Pieter Hintjens of FFII describes the support from companies for failing remedies
