[A2k] PUBPAT and Software Freedom Law Center to Co-Sponsor Conference on Software Patents

[Soenke Zehle]

From: Public Patent Foundation <info@pubpat.org>

PUBPAT AND SOFTWARE FREEDOM LAW CENTER TO CO-SPONSOR CONFERENCE ON
SOFTWARE PATENTS: Representatives from Academia, Industry, and the
Nonprofit Sector will Meet in Boston to Discuss Patent Policy

NEW YORK, Oct. 17  --  The Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) and the
Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) today announced that they are co-
sponsoring a conference to discuss the impact of software patents on
software development, innovation and competition. The conference,
entitled "Software Patents: A Time for Change?", will be hosted at
Boston University on November 17.

In addition to PUBPAT and SFLC, the conference is being co-organized by
the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, Boston University Law
School, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, the MIT
Sloan School of Management, and Research on Innovation.  Speakers at the
conference will include representatives from each of the organizers in
addition to eBay, Red Hat, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the
World Wide Web Consortium.

CURRENT STATE OF PATENT LAW

In the past few decades, the specialized patent court of appeals in the
United States has removed virtually all limits to patentable subject
matter and, as a result, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has awarded
hundreds of thousands of software patents.  Initially, there was little
empirical evidence to gauge what the effect of allowing patents to cover
software would be.  Since then, many have analyzed the effect of patents
on the development of software. The conference being co-sponsored by
PUBPAT and SFLC will provide an opportunity to consider this growing
body of research and its implications for software patent policy.

"Over time, it has become increasingly clear that software patents
actually hinder -- rather than promote -- innovation," said Dan
Ravicher, Executive Director of PUBPAT. "A reevaluation of the
consequences of software patents here in America is long overdue,"
continued Mr. Ravicher, who will give opening remarks at the conference.

"Software patents have a chilling effect on the collaborative
development model of free and open source software," said Richard
Fontana, SFLC Counsel, who will participate on a roundtable at the
conference to consider options for patent reform. "Ironically, the
social benefits that patents supposedly provide -- enriching public
knowledge through disclosure, discouraging duplicative research, and
facilitating new technological solutions -- are intrinsic to FOSS but
are endangered by software patents."

Mr. Ravicher and Mr. Fontana are both registered patent attorneys.

For more information on the conference, which will be open to the
public, see http://www.researchoninnovation.org/swconf/home.htm

Contact:

Daniel Ravicher, Executive Director
Public Patent Foundation
(212) 796-0570
info@pubpat.org

About the Software Freedom Law Center

The Software Freedom Law Center -- chaired by Eben Moglen, one of the
world's leading experts on copyright law as applied to software --
provides legal representation and other law-related services to protect
and advance Free and Open Source Software.  The Law Center is dedicated
to assisting non- profit open source developers and projects. For
criteria on eligibility and to apply for assistance, please contact the
Law Center directly or visit the Web at http://www.softwarefreedom.org.

About the Public Patent Foundation

The Public Patent Foundation ("PUBPAT") is a not-for-profit legal
services organization working to protect the public from the harms
caused by the patent system, particularly the harms caused by undeserved
patents and unsound patent policy.  PUBPAT provides the general public
and those specific persons or businesses otherwise deprived of access to
the system governing patents, with representation, advocacy, and
education.  To be kept informed of PUBPAT News, subscribe to the PUBPAT
News List by visiting http://www.pubpat.org.  To be removed from the
PUBPAT News List, send an email with "unsubscribe" in the subject line
to news-request@pubpat.org.

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