Bonum Certa Men Certa

IBM and Watchtroll, Together With Microsoft, Among the Driving Forces for Resurgence of Software Patents

Bill Lumbergh: If you could grant me a software patent, That Would Be Great!



Summary: A look at who keeps lobbying against Alice and where/how; also our assessment of why such lobbying won't be getting them anywhere any time soon

AS PROMISED in our previous long post, here are some details about the lobby against Alice (i.e. for software patenting). The USPTO continues granting such patents, but in our previous post we showed that almost none of these can "survive" the courts. In other words, there's a great disparity between granting and assertion in this domain. Certainty is extremely low for software patents.



"So he basically frames the rejection of software patents as "discrimination". Amazing."IBM and Watchtroll are probably the worst culprits when it comes to the lobbying; even more so than Microsoft. Here is IBM's Manny Schecter‏ citing Watchtroll/Gene Quinn (quite frequent an occurrence and Schecter‏ also habitually writes for Watchtroll). "The patent system should not discriminate against certain technologies," he wrote.

So he basically frames the rejection of software patents as "discrimination". Amazing.

Watchtroll said: "Alice Who? Over Half the U.S. Utility Patents Issued Annually are Software Related!"

"Software is everywhere. But that does not mean that everywhere technology is used it boils down to software."Terms like "software related" are nonsensical. Benjamin Henrion already responded to them with , "you mean it does not fit some technologies?"

Software is everywhere. But that does not mean that everywhere technology is used it boils down to software. Yet that's the kind of 'logic' software patents proponents are attempting to leverage. The underlying article IBM links to is from a patent attorney, i.e. part of the patent microcosm.

"Microsoft too is among those trying to change the law in the US, in order to allow software patents chaos to resume (Microsoft's blackmail relies on that).""It is time to define the term ‘Abstract Idea’," Watchtroll added. It couldn't get any more obvious; they want Alice struck down under the guise of "clarity" that IBM pays David Kappos to play with.

It's despicable. Microsoft too is among those trying to change the law in the US, in order to allow software patents chaos to resume (Microsoft's blackmail relies on that). As this recent report put it: "The issue’s importance to biopharmaceutical companies was illustrated March 15 by an unlikely source—an executive from the software industry--which often has been at odds with the biopharma sector on Section 101. Speaking on the topic, Microsoft Corp.'s David Jones said, “The people having the hardest time, as much as we complain about software, are the ones with gene patents.”"

Further down it refers to the IBM-led IPO initiative by stating: "The IPO proposed three new parts of Section 101. Section 101(a) would read: “Whoever invents or discovers and claims as an invention any useful process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, or any useful improvement thereto, shall be entitled to a patent for a claimed invention thereof, subject only to the exceptions, conditions and requirements set forth in this Title.”"

"Will all that lobbying manage to warp the debate though?"So it is crystal clear that they are still attempting to resurrect abstract patents, including software patents. Having said that, a lot of the above is from May and June (John T. Aquino's article is from May) and things have been quiet since then. Back in May there were many articles like "IPO, AIPLA and ABA IP Section Propose Legislative Fixes for Section 101", "AIPLA offers proposals to alter section 101" and "AIPLA On Board with Statutory Reform of 101". A month later there was almost nothing about it and in July there was nothing at all. It's like they vanished. We should not, however, assume that they stopped trying. Arguably, what they worked on at the time (and to a certain degree did accomplish) is this notorious bill, the "STRONGER Patents Act" which is going nowhere (not even patent extremists like IAM believe it will ever materialise).

Will all that lobbying manage to warp the debate though?

"More reports that Examiners in 3600 are being instructed to conduct less stringent Alice analyses," Patent Buddy wrote. Have they 'scandalised' Alice enough to have it de-emphasised? Well, maybe only at the patent office, but not the courts. The USPTO does not decide what patents will be upheld by judges. Back in May, patent attorney Mark Summerfield wrote about the subject and regarding a particular case, J Nicholas Gross (also patent microcosm) said: "In contrast to PTO, Fed judges continue to rely on principle of "no preemption" to deem patents eligible under 101..."

"The patent microcosm is focusing on exceptions to the norm, i.e. cases where software patents are miraculously upheld (even if by a low court)."Well, they actually do their job correctly. Even if examiners continue to grant software patents, judge will throw these away, merely reducing confidence in US patents and damaging the credibility of the US patent office.

The case at hand is Tecsec Inc. v Adobe Inc. and Mercedes Meyer wrote about it that "EDVA [Eastern District of Virginia] DENIES 12(B)(6) ELIGIBILITY MOTION - claims on 4 patents do not preempt and are inventive; Tecsec Inc. v. Adobe Inc. (5/23/17)..."

So it's yet another one of many cases where software patents are ruled invalid.

Regarding another Tecsec case, Tecsec Inc. v International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Docket Report wrote this: "The court denied defendant's motion for summary judgment on the ground that plaintiff’s encryption patents encompassed unpatentable subject matter because the asserted claims were not directed toward an abstract idea."

As noted in our previous report, this was the sole case (which we are aware of so far this summer) where software patents were tolerated, and these were only tolerated by a low court. The patent microcosm is focusing on exceptions to the norm, i.e. cases where software patents are miraculously upheld (even if by a low court).

"It seems clear that their last remaining hopes are on this piece of legislation that is already being opposed and condemned even by large corporations..."Is there much of a future (or any) to software patents? Well, that "STRONGER Patents Act" (misleading name) is dead in the water and we expect the momentum of the above lobby to have already been lost in the midst of SCOTUS rulings. We oughtn't, however, lose sight of the lobbyists. The last thing they want is visibility (when they do their dirty deeds). A vocal software patents 'lobbyist', Steve Lundberg, is going mental over the demise of "medical"-washed software patents and other vocal 'lobbyists' seem equally perturbed. They can't seem to get their way. Steve Lundberg is starting to sound like Bill Lumbergh with: "If you could grant me a software patent, That Would Be Great!"

Here is what he wrote:

One of the most disturbing stats related to medical software innovation. Inexplicably, it has been targeted as constituting largely only “abstract ideas” not worthy of patenting. This is another strong indication that the U.S. patent system is sorely in need of a legislative solution to the Section 101 problem that is now a runaway train on course to do major damage to the U.S. patent system and U.S. competitiveness in the technical software arts.



A couple of months later the Bill Lumbergh-like Steve Lundberg wrote in favour of stuff like "STRONGER Patents Act" (promoted also by Bastian Best).

It seems clear that their last remaining hopes are on this piece of legislation that is already being opposed and condemned even by large corporations (except the likes of IBM and Microsoft, which like to shake down companies and extort them for 'protection' money).

Recent Techrights' Posts

Representing and Speaking for Animals
If I ever choose to take this matter to tribunal with animals-centric NGOs on my side, it'll get some press coverage for sure
Slopwatch: Fake Articles About "Linux", Slop Images in VentureBeat, Linux Foundation Spam Made With LLM Slop and Slop Images
The only relief or upside - if any exists - is that the pace of slop was down a bit this week
Richard Stallman (RMS) Talk in Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress Will be Remote
This past week RMS received lots of accolades online
 
Links 29/08/2025: Lisa Cook Sues Convicted Felon and Backdoor Mandate in UK Resisted
Links for the day
Links 29/08/2025: Arti 1.5.0, War on Public Health (CDC), and Slop 'Bros' Made to Pay for Their Mass Plagiarism
Links for the day
No, 4Chan is Not Fighting for You by Lawyering Up Against Ofcom (UK)
Don't mistake proto-fascists for people who "fight for you". They don't.
Downlplaying the Impact of "UEFI 9/11" is a Losing Strategy
we won't publish much whilst on holiday
In Many Places in the World Vista 11 "Market Share" is Going Down, Not Up
In some countries Windows is already down to third place or lower
More Microsoft-Connected Layoffs, at Least Third Time This Month! (Also Another Death on Campus)
Microsoft as a "gaming" company is where studios, projects, games, and even developers come to die
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, August 28, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, August 28, 2025
Gemini Links 29/08/2025: Poems, Games, and Java 25 Performance
Links for the day
Links 28/08/2025: Greenland 'Interferences' by US and Skinnerboxes to Get Banned in Korean Schools
Links for the day
The Register MS (Run by Microsoft Operatives): Free Software is Putin, Hence Evil and Dangerous
The current editor in chief is an American Microsofter, the previous one went to work for Google (US)
Links 28/08/2025: Chatbots Distorting/Fabricating History and Also Driving Suicide
Links for the day
Gemini Links 28/08/2025: Back in Japan and Why "Hacker News" Sucks
Links for the day
A Much-Needed Wake-up Call to Users of Wordpress.com, Blogspot, Substack and All Those Other Outsourced (and Centralised) Platforms
There are several lessons in there
The UEFI 9/11 - Part II - Campaign of Censorship and Defamation Against Critics
In dictatorships, humour serves an important role. It's tragic.
Open Source Initiative (OSI) Resists Software Freedom, Even by Attacking Its Own
The OSI is compromised
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, August 27, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Slopwatch: linuxsecurity.com, Slopfarms in Google News, and More
Some readers of ours end up sending us links that are from slopfarms, not realising those are slopfarms
Gemini Links 27/08/2025: Katrina Memories and Google Versus Software Freedom
Links for the day
Links 27/08/2025: Police Against Media Freedom in the UK, Energy-Hungry Countries Targeted by China
Links for the day
Microsoft Windows Fell to All-Time Lows in Egypt This Summer, Vista 11 Adoption Decreases While GNU/Linux Increases
Vista 11 is going down rather than up
Links 27/08/2025: Microsoft Demoralises Staff With Slop Demands, Leaving Mastodon Explained
Links for the day
12 Hours Ago The Register MS Published a Fake (Paid-for) Article, But This One for a Change Did Not Promote a Ponzi Scheme
There are also Free software alternatives, but they don't pay The Register MS for "synthetic" so-called 'journalism'
More People Need to Call Out and Put a Stop to Serial Sloppers
Unless slopfarms are stopped, people will read and share Microsoft propaganda made by chatbots
Gemini Links 27/08/2025: Headphones and Tartarus
Links for the day
Morale at Microsoft is Terrible (Proprietary Plagiarism Machines Have No Future, LLM Slop is a Bubble)
The slop sceptics/critics are going to have lots of "told you so" moments
GNOME "governance issues, staff reduction, etc." amidst Albanian whistleblowing and women trafficking
Notice the connection to Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) and GNOME
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, August 26, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, August 26, 2025