01.14.13
Mortal Cost of Patents and Bill Gates’ Patent Profit
Summary: Troubling news about patents, effective backlash against them, and backlash against Bill Gates with his nuclear lobbying and patent monopolies
USPTO collided with the Justice Department in the United states after it had failed to serve public interests. Moreover, explains Joe McKendrick, the USPTO acknowledges that it has got a problem:
Developers: help fix our convoluted patent system
The U.S. Patent and Trademark office seeks software developers’ input on enhancing the quality of software patents, and will host roundtables next month in Silicon Valley and New York.
It’s a rigged debate, but it is better than noting, as we explained before. The US DOJ getting involved in USPTO affairs is yet another sign of progress and Glyn Moody says that the World Economic Forum is also worried about patents:
Back in June last year, Techdirt reported on the warning from the World Health Organization’s Director-General that we risked entering a “post-antibiotic era”. That was in part because the current patent system was not encouraging the right kind of research by pharma companies in order to develop the new antibiotics that we desperately need.
This is where life is compromised, not just software. Metacode tells me that Gates Foundation‘s marketing of patents in various areas (drugs, GMOs, nuclear power) has gone yet further, jeopardising life so that he and his close friends, e.g. Nathan Myhrvold (world’s biggest troll), can profit from nuclear patents [1, 2], as we showed before. To quote:
Our brothers and sisters in Missouri are trying to force Bill Gates to stop endangering the lives of Bridgeton, Mo., residents — even as Teamsters all over the country try to prevent Gates from destroying their retirement.
Gates is the majority shareholder of Republic. Joint Council 13 tells us an underground fire at Republic’s landfill in Bridgeton is threatening to ignite two nuclear waste dump sites.
Gates does not care about lives. He got seven billion dollars richer last year and all he cares about is his public image.
I would like to add, especially in light of the death of Aaron, that life as an hacktivist, an antagonist in the face of corporate domination of everything digital, is not easy. People who are criticised like to threaten the messengers (SLAPP) and some actions are borderline “legal” (as defined by laws that corporate lobbyists help write); sometimes they require courage and endurance when blowback comes. This sure requires thick skin. I have been criticised a lot for my views on patents, not to mention my views on Novell. A lot comes in ad hominem form. But unless we are willing to become part of the solution, we are a passive part of the problem. Thanks to those who donated to Techrights over Xmas. We always welcome support in this form as it helps cover hosting bills. Techrights is dedicating itself to patent reform, not Open Access and copyright reform as some other good folks are doing. We’ve served hundreds of millions of hits over the years, so there is a sense that a lot is being accomplished, little by little. █
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