[Office-commits] r9944 - trunk/campaigns/patents

[sysadmin]

Author: www-data
Date: Fri Oct  2 03:41:02 2009
New Revision: 9944

Log:
web commit by ciaran: general improvements

Modified:
   trunk/campaigns/patents/bilski-supreme-court-brief.mdwn

Modified: trunk/campaigns/patents/bilski-supreme-court-brief.mdwn
==============================================================================
--- trunk/campaigns/patents/bilski-supreme-court-brief.mdwn     Thu Oct  1 
22:46:14 2009        (r9943)
+++ trunk/campaigns/patents/bilski-supreme-court-brief.mdwn     Fri Oct  2 
03:41:02 2009        (r9944)
@@ -1,58 +1,56 @@
 ## FSF files brief in Bilski case calling on the Supreme Court to eliminate 
software patents
 
-BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA -- Thursday, October 1, 2009 -- The Free
+BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA -- Friday, October 2, 2009 -- The Free
 Software Foundation (FSF) today submitted an amicus curiae brief
 calling on the Supreme Court to affirm that software ideas are not
-patentable. The FSF's brief shows clearly that patents threaten all
-software development as well as individual free expression, and
-emphasizes the positive impact that the free software movement and the
-GNU General Public License (GNU GPL) have had on computer use in both
-the private and public sectors without using the supposed incentive of
-patents.
+patentable.  After outlining the positive impact that the free
+software movement and the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL) have
+had on computer use, the brief explains how software patents are
+nothing but an obstacle and a danger to software developers.
 
 FSF founder Richard Stallman and the free software movement have been
 campaigning worldwide against software patents since the late 1980s,
 but the effort in the United States has recently come to a head. In
 April of 2008, FSF worked with the End Software Patents (ESP) campaign
-which filed an amicus curiae brief in the Court of Appeals for the Federal
-Circuit's (CAFC) rehearing of the *in re Bilski* case, noting that the
-hearing was "an historic opportunity to fix the US patent system." On
-October 30, the CAFC issued its ruling, which effectively gutted
-patents on program ideas running on general-purpose computers. In June
-of this year, the Supreme Court decided to review the case, making
-this their first review of patentable scope since 1981's *Diamond v.
-Diehr*.
+which filed an amicus curiae brief in the Court of Appeals for the
+Federal Circuit's (CAFC) rehearing of the *in re Bilski* case. In
+October 2008, the CAFC issued its ruling which gutted patents on
+program ideas running on general-purpose computers.  In June of this
+year, the Supreme Court decided to review the case, making this their
+first review of patentable scope since 1981's *Diamond v. Diehr*.
 
 ESP executive director Ciaran O'Riordan explained, "Every software
 patent is something you can't use your computer to do. In the US today
-that means there are 200,000 things you're prohibited from doing with your
-computer. Software patents have also proven to be an economic failure,
-and by hindering the progress of the useful arts, they've failed the
-consitutional mandate that created them. The Supreme Court has itself
-never authorized the patenting of software ideas, so there's real hope
-that this problem can finally be solved."
+that means there are 200,000 things you're prohibited from doing with
+your computer.  Time has now also proven software patenting to be an
+economic failure and a hindrance to the progress of the useful arts,
+which means they've failed their consitutional mandate and have no
+legal legitimacy.  The Supreme Court has itself never authorized the
+patenting of software ideas, so there's real hope that this problem
+can finally be solved."
 
 The 24-page brief further details the commonly noted outrageous risks
-and expenses imposed by patents, which prevent potential software
-developers from participating in the system, but also highlights the
-deeper injustices: "This inability to participate on an even basis
-amplifies the problem, but there is also a deeper problem: losing
-control of one’s computing in his or her daily life. Because
-individuals can write software, they can help themselves and solve
-their own problems. Given that software development includes common
-activities such as making a webpage, the freedom to use a computer as
-you see fit for your daily life is a fundamental form of expression,
-just as using a pen and paper is."
+and expenses imposed by patents, which leave individuals and small
+projects particularly vulnerable, but also highlights the deeper
+injustices: "This inability to participate on an even basis amplifies
+the problem, but there is also a deeper problem: losing control of
+one’s computing in his or her daily life. Because individuals can
+write software, they can help themselves and solve their own
+problems. Given that software development includes common activities
+such as making a webpage, the freedom to use a computer as you see fit
+for your daily life is a fundamental form of expression, just as using
+a pen and paper is."
 
 The impact of the patent system on individuals was evidenced by the
-community research effort for the brief. O'Riordan credited the swpat.org
-wiki contributors for their help, saying, "Much of the material for
-this brief came from our public wiki at swpat.org. For each point we
-decided to make, we used the wiki to find references and quotes and
-further information -- and I hope other brief drafters found it useful
-too. Contributing to this resource is a great way for people to get
-involved in the campaign -- there is still much work to be done to
-eliminate software patents worldwide."
+community research effort for the brief.  O'Riordan credited the
+swpat.org wiki contributors for their help, saying, "Much of the
+material for this brief came from our publicly editable wiki at
+swpat.org.  For each point we decided to make, we used the wiki to
+find references and quotes and further information -- and I hope other
+brief drafters found it useful too. Contributing to this resource is a
+great way for people to get involved in the campaign -- the Bilski
+case will continue for months, and there is still much work to be done
+to eliminate software patents worldwide."
 
 The full text of the brief is available online at
 <http://endsoftpatents.org/amicus-bilski-2009>.