Richard Stallman in Finland

Richard Stallman visited Finland today (23.7.2004). He gave a speech about software idea patents. Random notes:

• IPR=intellectual proterty rights, term confuses issue by lumping different things under one umbrella
• Copyright and patent are very different in nature
• RMS mentioned an Australian study which concluded that Australia has not benefited from patents, link?
• Standards covered by patents very bad
• JPEG found that creating a revised standard impossible because field so heavily patented
• IBM has proved that patents do 10% good, 90% harm (for small), but big companies get only the benefit (and benefit from the advantage compared to small of not suffering the harm, cross licensing)
• If need for patents is defense, why not agree to use them only for defense?
• Protection from patents for small not real if company does real work: big portfolios outweight single patents, real work is always covered by some patents.
• SW industry is iterative, patents are bad for iterative industries, take a look at Sequential Innovation, Patents and Imitation.