Minor reform proposals in the USA
Weak "reform" bills are frequently proposed in the USA. At best, some can be called a step in the right direction but even those proposals carry the problem of distracting people from real solutions such as excluding software from patentability or shielding software from litigation. The America Invents Act, adopted in 2011, is a good example. It took five years of work to get it adopted, and it has had no noticeable effect on software patents.
Most proposals focus on patent trolls but patent trolls are not the biggest problem.
2014
- Ten states pass anti-patent-troll laws, with more to come, 15 may 2014, Ars Technica
- Discussion: Slashdot
- Patent Reform Moving Forward in Congress, 1 April 2014, Patently-O
- later stalled: Senate Patent Reform Bill Delayed Yet Again, 9 April 2014, Techcrunch
2013
Three such steps in the right direction were proposed in 2013:
- "Innovation Act"
- Yet another anti-troll measure. This has been passed by the House of Representatives with a large majority.[1] EFF clearly loves it, but it does nothing to stop the main problems (which are caused by large software companies).
- Commentary by Slashdot, Simon Phipps, ArsTechnica
- Patent Litigation and Innovation Act
- Stopping the Offensive Use of Patents (STOP) Act
Neither are close to being strong enough to justify using your time to support these instead of abolition.
In the state of Vermont, there's also a proposal:
2012
- Saving High-Tech Innovators from Egregious Legal Disputes Act (aka SHIELD Act)
This was better than the 2013 proposals.
Related pages on ESP Wiki
External links
- Momentum Continues on the Hill with Two New Patent Reform Bills, July 2013, EFF
- Innovation Act of 2013, 24 Oct 2013, Patently-O
References
