11.21.12

Kappos/IBM Part of the Patent Monopolies Disease, Enabling Cartels

Posted in GNU/Linux, IBM, Microsoft at 5:50 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

No change, just protectionism

Summary: Kappos’ words are telling in the sense that they expose him as the Bernanke of monopolies in software, to borrow an analogy from the Federal Reserve et al. and what they mean to various types of banks

“Patents on software are vital to American economy,” says the head of the USPTO and “calls to abolish them are wrong” (brave words). So he incites more people against the monopoly office he runs. Glyn Moody writes: “world to Kappos: get lost (oh, wait you are…)”

The headline of the report is “US patent chief to software patent critics: ‘Give it a rest already’” and it says:

David Kappos, the head of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, offered a strong defense of software patents in a Tuesday address at the Center for American Progress. Kappos touted several provisions of the America Invents Act (AIA), which he argued would allow the patent office to weed out low-quality software and business method patents.

Addressing those who claim the patent system is broken, Kappos said, “Give it a rest already. Give the AIA a chance to work. Give it a chance to even get started.”

Now we see built-in bias in the USPTO, which is led by a patent guy from IBM, one of the leading proponents of software patent and the biggest member of the patent cartel. Another growing member is Microsoft, which catches up with IBM on patent filings after hiring Mr. Phelps from IBM. Microsoft is trying to elevate the charges it derives from Android through this cartel, as Groklaw helped show us. Pamela Jones writes:

I know you join me in thanking our reporter for such detail, and his boss for letting him take the time. Imagine if all we had was media reports.

This trial was stacked by Microsoft boosters, so press coverage was deficient, obedient, and sometimes indirectly funded by Microsoft. The bottom line is, we must start challenging the cartel, IBM included. ITC is an extension of this protectionist mechanism. █

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