Introduction to Patents (in Videos)

Dr. Roy Schestowitz

2007-10-20 16:40:23 UTC
Modified: 2007-10-20 17:05:26 UTC

Here is a decent introduction to the key issues with software patents, delivered by Mark Webbink. Below you'll find some past coverage along with videos that make various points.

Software patents

Trivial invention and obvious patent from Burst (direct link to video)

Explanatory video from FFII on the problem with software patents (direct link to video)

“Show Us The Code” letter (direct link to video)

“Show Us The Code” story (direct link to video)

Jerry Rosenthal (short and blurry) (direct link to video)

Eben Moglen on the Novell/Microsoft patent deal (direct link to video)

Even Moglen on the "be very afraid tour" (direct link to video)

General Patents

Patents satire (trollish) (direct link to video)

Funny 'invention' (direct link to video)

Patently absurd (direct link to video)

Patents that cost lives (direct link to video)

Moral issue with patents (direct link to video)

Monopolies earn the most from patents (direct link to video)

The “Patent Troll” video (direct link to video)

EFF Talks about patents (direct link to first video), European patent law (direct link to second video)

Victim of patent abuse (direct link to video)

Europe and patent laws (direct link to video)

Intellectual Property

Eric Schmidt on intellectual property (direct link to video)

Joke about copyrights madness (direct link to video)

Others

The Microsoft/Apple deal (direct link to video)

FSF/SFLC Call for donations (expired video)

Last edited in 2007

Recent Techrights' Posts

Improving the Static Site Generator: Our system has fixes triaged
In Techrights, Gemini and HTTP/HTML Are Very Different: Those were never equivalents or mirrors, those are two things that are inherently different and are maintained by different teams
Microsoft E.E.E. (and "Bait and Switch") Going Exactly According to Plan: That is what they are trying to tell us and the companies that employ us
IBM: An Old Company That Hates Old People: Remember that's coming to Red Hat workers in 2 months
Strict Policy on Violence and Violent Language: This matter is now being escalated to law firms
Avoiding Discrimination Against People With Disabilities: work underway to improve the system which runs the sites
Links 28/07/2026: XBox DRM Doomed Everyone (Cannot Play Anything), Slop (Ponzi Scheme) Being Pinkwashed Now: Links for the day
Gemini Links 28/07/2026: Ethics, GIMP Script-Fu, SMTP Versus Gemini, and Proposal for Better TOFU: Links for the day
To a Sociopath, Ethical People Are Bad People. Don't Fall for It.: If you put sociopaths on a pedestal, the pedestal will break
Diversity in Debian: bringing up the topic is the real problem, diversity itself is a taboo subject
GNU/Linux in Brazil. The B in BRIC(S).: the "market share" is assessed to be around 5%
Over at Tux Machines...: GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, July 27, 2026: IRC logs for Monday, July 27, 2026
Hate Consumes the Haters: If you hate someone (or something) and you're willing to do anything for "hate rituals", then at the end the emotion will outweigh reason and it'll backfire, surely
GNU/Linux Rises Some More Internationally, statCounter Now Estimates Its Usage on Desktops/Laptops at 7.7%: significant growth for GNU/Linux in Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Cambodia
IBMers on PIPs and the Age (or Cost) Factor: People in their 50s seem to be targeted as they are considered "expensive"
Sad State of Troll-Feeding British Media (Establishment Channels Promoting Total Idiots): Breeding ignorance means people will assume they have a choice between two pieces of trash: "Nige" or a literal trash can
Links 27/07/2026: Sleepless Japan PM Takaichi Becomes Unpopular and Data Centre Magnate Confiscate Land Without Consent: Links for the day
A Few Hours Ago The Register MS Published an 'Article' With "AI" 32 Times in It, Including First Word in Headline and Summary. It Was Paid SPAM "Sponsored by Hammerspace".: The lost media is engaging in self-harm
Microsoft is Down: This relates in a timely fashion to what we published yesterday
Gemini Links 27/07/2026: Gemified Internet RFCs, “Junk DNA” Is Commented-Out Code, and More: Links for the day
The Techrights Gemini Capsule Was Never a Mirror: Techrights has long taken accessibility quite seriously
Americans Are Not Our Masters: If you are subjected to online abuse, don't give up
Daniel Pocock Campaigns Around "Safety of Children Online" and "Cybersecurity": There seems to be a growing 'coalition' in the UK based around important issues which impact the entire planet
XBox the Console is Practically Finished (Unofficially), Even the Streaming ("Live") or DRM Service is Dead: XBox has never been closer to profitability
Many CEOs Are Just Glorified Scammers With Suits and Ties: Economies cannot function when few people abuse them for self-enrichment
After statCounter Figures Out Many "Unknowns" Were in Fact GNU/Linux the "Market Share" Estimate in China More Than Doubles: Japan is the same for similar reasons
peppe8o - a Site About Raspberry Pi, Arduino and Electronics - Has Turned Into a Slopfarm: We won't be linking to it anymore
Feeding 'the Children': Maybe some time soon we'll do a fund-raiser to help feed the birds
Japan: GNU/Linux Crosses the 5% Threshold, Two Years Ago It Was Only 1%: Now it's at over 5%
We Need More Transparency: Our heads of state are very much aware of and concerned about SLAPPs and censorship
"The War on Children" Explained by The Cyber Show: Consumer protection and the war on children
EPO Cocainegate and Current EPO/EU Series to Carry on for Months to Come: Another week has begun
When IBM "Managers Have to Mark 15% of Their Teams as Low Performers" a PIP Means Likely Layoffs (Disguised as a Performance Issue): "IBM is a Law firm with an I/T department."
Links 27/07/2026: Chatbots Lead to Suicides, Social Control Media Intentionally Designed for Addiction: Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...: GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, July 26, 2026: IRC logs for Sunday, July 26, 2026
Daniel Pocock in Mainstream Media Again: AFR wrote an article today. It is about Pocock and another contender.
Millions of Daily Requests: 4.5+ million requests in 4 days
In statCounter, a Lot of "Unknown" Turns Out to be GNU/Linux: GNU/Linux has more than doubled
3,500 Active Gemini Capsules Soon: How much longer before 3,500+ active? A month?
Gemini Links 26/07/2026: European Eclipse, Writing About Writing, and Comments on Formatting Gopher Posts: Links for the day
Stigma of Being Laid Off by Microsoft: One might call this the "curse" of having worked for Microsoft
Silent Layoffs (PIPs) Have Allegedly Accelerated Since IBM's Stock Cratered: "IBM is Managing Decline, Not Building Growth"
Non-Techs Using Slop Run Fedora and It's Turning Out to be a Total Disaster: RIP, Fedora?
Gemini Links 26/07/2026: Beach Day, CAs, and Plaintext: Links for the day
Sweden Needs GNU/Linux and Free Software, Not GAFAM: home of IKEA and ABBA
Being Pro-Slop is Death Knell to One's Credibility: It's not hard to see Ubuntu users resisting and antagonising this
Maintenance Today: Preparing for more mass-publication activities
Links 26/07/2026: "Zelenskyy Says Russia Wants To Bring North Korean Troops Into Ukraine", Muslim Van Ramming Attack on Berlin Pride: Links for the day
Centrica fraud exposed: worse than Palestine Action 'terrorists' with cardboard placards: Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 26/07/2026: "Nate Silver Discovers the Educated Poor" and "India’s “Cockroach” Protest Movement Faces State Repression": Links for the day
The Slop Bubble is Killing the Planet, Not Just the Economy: The chatbot/LLM speculation bubble not only causes a health crisis, a mental health epidemic, and climate change; it's also crashing the economy on several levels
Over at Tux Machines...: GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, July 25, 2026: IRC logs for Saturday, July 25, 2026