11.21.15
Washington Post Only Entertains Debate About Patent Trolls (But Not Patent Scope) Whilst US Lawyers Trick the System to Patent Software
Because Amazon, founded by Jeff Bezos, likes software patents
Summary: The Bezos-owned Washington Post continues to help those who wish to eliminate patent trolls (which bother Amazon amongst other large conglomerates) but remains void of any coverage about patent scope, including software patents that patent lawyers work so hard to defend
Days after the Washington Post, a generally well-regarded journal of record (with government connections and ownership by the CIA’s ‘Webmaster’), had published Bessen's and Meurer's piece (potentially targeting US politicians) it also published an article by Julie Samuels, whose general thesis is similar to that of Bessen. The headline was composed of two sentences and said: “Patents are supposed to encourage innovation. Without reform, they’ll do the opposite.”
“Patents are supposed to encourage innovation. Without reform, they’ll do the opposite.”
–Julie Samuels“Patent reform,” explained Samuels, “isn’t the kind of topic you’d expect to get much attention. It’s really boring — and I mean deep in the weeds wonky and boring. But start-ups and small inventors are now so threatened by people exploiting loopholes in the patent system that Congress must now step in and take action.
“That’s why patent reform moved from the back halls of Congress to front and center of policy debates. It’s all thanks to the emergence of the “patent troll” — an entity that doesn’t produce things based on its patents but instead uses patents to sue (or threaten to sue) others for infringing them.”
As we noted the other day, the media and the politicians in the US hardly even mention patent reform anymore. Since returning from holidays/recess the subject has been largely buried. Patent lawyers in particular aren’t quite so interested in such change, which might only harm their parasitic business.
“Don’t think for a second that the corporate media is now favourable towards reformists.”Techrights has been generally supportive of Bessen, Meurer, and Samuels. They are well-meaning people and they aren’t necessarily going to gain (financially or otherwise) from the reform. They just want a functional patent system that rewards and encourages real innovation. A lot of patent systems, including today’s EPO and USPTO, view themselves as money-making machines. They don’t seem to care at all what their grants are causing both financially and technologically (embezzling the poor and retarding innovation). There are also ethical considerations, such as killing of the poor (because drugs are priced way out of reach, owing to patent monopolies and artificial price inflation by monopolists).
Don’t think for a second that the corporate media is now favourable towards reformists. As we have said here for years, patent lawyers are winning this battle by virtually flooding the media with their talking points, pressuring politicians with their lobbyists and so on. The owner of the Washington Post is himself a big part of this problem, so don’t expect the corporate media to speak for the people. It speaks for large corporations and the people who own these corporations. Some corporations want to stop trolls, and trolls only (usually the small ones, not themselves). They’re not interested in debates about patent scope, for instance (the owner of the Washington Post brings software patents even to Europe).
Speaking of software patents, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (i.e. patent lawyers) only ever covers Alice v. CLS Bank by cherry-picking cases where the case leaves software patents in tact. Here is the latest example of this pattern (article by Patrick T. Muffo).
“They are trying to work around the rules and maybe bamboozle/trick patent examiners, if not just offend their intelligence in order to get their way.”Jacek Wnuk from Lewis Roca Rothgerber (lawyers again) is again giving tips [1, 2] like “Strategies to Increase Probability of Obtaining a Software Patent”. They are trying to work around the rules and maybe bamboozle/trick patent examiners, if not just offend their intelligence in order to get their way. Joe Bird from Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP does the same thing and he has just reposted in another lawyers’ site some of his ‘tricks’.
To quote some examples of ‘tricks’: “First, any invention or patent claim that sounds like it might be interpreted as falling under one of the four categories of abstract ideas identified above should be approached by a patent practitioner with careful eye toward addition of inventive concepts to the claims.”
“…a patent practitioner can effectively boost his/her odds of obtaining and keeping an issued patent at the drafting, prosecution, and litigation stages.”
–Patent lawyerSo what they are saying is that it’s merely the art of misleading with words, not actually changing what you wish to be covered by a patent. In conclusion it says: “Successfully patenting processes and systems with software elements can often be difficult due to the continuing vagueness surrounding the “abstract idea” patentability exception and the newer “something more” inquiry, but can be very rewarding if the patent ultimately issues, paving the way for paid licensing agreements, cross-licensing agreements, and infringement protection. By keeping a close eye on cases decided by the Supreme Court and Federal Circuit, and on examples and guidance provided by the USPTO, a patent practitioner can effectively boost his/her odds of obtaining and keeping an issued patent at the drafting, prosecution, and litigation stages.”
When will media like the Washington Post begin a serious debate about patent scope? When will it stop pushing the agenda of large tax-dodging corporations that not only patent software in the US but also in Europe? When will people realise that the corporate media isn’t actually interested in a real patent reform but just like Les Échos would rather protect those in power? █
“Amazon Chief’s Deal [to buy Washington Post for $250 million] Doesn’t Involve Online Retailer but Shows Media Power Shift [to incredibly rich people]“
–Wall Street Journal, owned by another billionaire, Rupert Murdoch
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