Martin Goetz
  Martin Goetz is said to be the first man to be granted a patent on an algorithm. This seems to be his sole achievement. He is, at present, a front-line proponent of software patents. He was mentioned in the following posts.
Martin Goetz Ridiculed for Starting and Harbouring Software Patents 
“Obama Administration Funds the Tobacco Patent Lobby” and Goetz’s Pro-Software Patents Piece Vanishes, Reappears, Debunked 
The Man Who Brought Software Patents to the US “Nicely Demonstrates Why We Shouldn’t Allow *Hardware* Patents Either” 
Klinkert Zindel Partner is Promoting Software Patents in Europe 
Shocker: Man With First Software Patent Defends Software Patents 
Patent Lawyers Push for Software Patents, Poorly 
Software Patents Proponent Martin Goetz Groomed by a Microsoft Booster, Unrest Over Software Patents Evident in Europe 
Novartis Pursued by Government Prosecutors, But Not for Its Patent Abuses 
  
