End Software Patents

(Note: End Software Patents hosts this wiki and wrote most or all of this page)

End Software Patents (ESP) is a campaign to abolish software patents, launched in February 2008. ESP is supported by Free Software Foundation (FSF), Software Freedom Law Center, and Public Patent Foundation, and has received financing from FSF.

2008, under Ben Klemens

In 2008, under the direction of Ben Klemens, ESP produced the 2008 State of Software Patents (direct link to study) which highlights that non-software companies are now often victims of software patent litigation, and that the cost of software patent litigation to USA companies can be estimated at $11.26 billion per year.

ESP also submitted an amicus curiae brief to the CAFC for the in re Bilski case: esp-bilski-final.pdf.

2009 to present, under Ciarán O'Riordan

In 2009, under the direction of Ciarán O'Riordan, ESP launched the en.swpat.org wiki. Development of the wiki has been an ongoing task and is a continual part of all other work done by ESP.

As well as participating in consultations and court cases, ESP provides documentation and raises awareness so that other organisations will also participate.

ESP's actions include:

• Participation via amicus curiae to the US Supreme Court for the Bilski v. Kappos case: amicus-bilski-2009
• Participation in the USPTO's 2010 subject matter consultation: ESP responds to USPTO consultation
• Raising awareness and providing support documenting for consultations in:
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
  • Israel
  • Canada
  • Brazil
• Publishing text versions of leaked ACTA documents
• ...

ESP Australia

Main article: ESP Australia

There is also an active and successful group in Australia, lead by Ben Sturmfels.

See: http://endsoftpatents.org/australia

External links

• ESP's main site: endsoftwarepatents.org
  • ESP Australia home page
• ESP's donations page
• http://en.swpat.org/wiki/

Press coverage

• Ending software patents: Has the time come?, Fortune, February 2008
• Groklaw looks at ESP's Supreme Court brief for Bilski, 2009
• Ars Technica looks at the in re Bilski briefs, including ESP's, April 2008
• Interview: Ciaran O'Riordan of End Software Patents, March 2009

Articles

(These articles are in addition to http://endsoftpatents.org/news)

• Europe’s Software Innovation Under Threat From Patents, Oct 2010 - pages 6 and 7
• Abandoning software patents?, 6 Nov 2009