FSF Calls Software Patents A Disease Amid COVID-19 Crisis, USPTO A Super-Spreader

[c117152]

As much as I dislike software patents, comparing it to something that's killed ~500k people (official numbers; real numbers from China/Iran/Russia are likely much higher) in ~5 months and worldwide shows no signs of abating, is highly inappropriate.

Keep in mind that there's also the Bilski vs Kappos decision, which does reduce the bite of software patents.

It's not a metaphorical / seemly comparison: The medical software patents are preventing researchers from doing their jobs by restricting access to certain necessary features. Imagine having static analysis exclusively tied to a certain proprietary compiler: How many bugs would end up in critical systems?

[vladpetric]

It's not a metaphorical / seemly comparison: The medical software patents are preventing researchers from doing their jobs by restricting access to certain necessary features. Imagine having static analysis exclusively tied to a certain proprietary compiler: How many bugs would end up in critical systems?

What medical software patents? Can you quote some?

This is not about a hypothetical.

[insilications]

As much as I dislike software patents, comparing it to something that's killed ~500k people (official numbers; real numbers from China/Iran/Russia are likely much higher) in ~5 months and worldwide shows no signs of abating, is highly inappropriate.
Keep in mind that there's also the Bilski vs Kappos decision, which does reduce the bite of software patents.

We live in times where every moral crusader is supercharging and overloading their arguments with such types of exaggerated comparisons, trying to paint their adversaries as monsters. I tend to dislike software patents, but this kind of reasoning is getting old. It tends to make people view your argument in a bad light.

How about just stating that patents in this context are harmful to actual patients? A good utilitarian argument based on costs and benefits is enough.

[FPScholten]

Historical data shows that whenever a (new) technology is patented the development of this technology completely stops until the patent has expired or is lifted. Thus patenting software is a great way to halt software development. Only those developers working for the patent owners are allowed to develop and only in way the patent holder defines. It is all about control and profit (money).

Sometimes there are some sane people holding patents that realize this and make their patents free for everyone to use. A fairly recent example of this is Tesla, by releasing their patents they paved the way for other manufacturers and car developers to expand the development and use of electric cars and other technology based on their patents i.e. batteries and electric drive mechanisms.

[rabcor]

FSF used to stand for something, now that they managed to kick Richard Stallman out somehow, it's just a sjw ragemob, if you were expecting the FSF to ever do or claim anything sensible ever again, get ready to have your hopes dashed, because it ain't gonna happen.

[Danny3]

The whole US patent system is just garbage.

Hearing that they patent every little thing, even match is insane and makes me have no trust in them at all.
In any case software patents are stupid and should not even exist.

[gerddie]

What medical software patents? Can you quote some?

This is not about a hypothetical.

For example Image registration and image segmentation is used in medical image processing (think processing images acquired by using Computer Tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Tomography), and there are many patents related to this:

https://patents.google.com/?q=image+registration&oq=image+registration+

https://patents.google.com/?q=image+segmentation&oq=image+segmentation+

Incidentally, lung CT images can be used to diagnose COVID-19, and using these methods could be used to automatize and simplify part of this diagnosis.

[Remdul]

Also, there have been more than a few news articles posted in the last few months about 'novel AI' algorithms being used to detect COVID-19 in x-ray images, with presumably pending patents (judging by their US big tech research sponsors).

There's a reason most countries have utterly rejected the mere concept of software patents. Obsession with patents is one of the many forms of US self-harm.

In the Netherlands, we have a nice saying, "nood breekt de wet", translated: "emergency breaks the law". It's about time the US populace stops self-flagellating and joins the rest of the world in some (deserved) self-respect.

Willingly breaching software parents in civil disobedience is probably the far easiest step, as the legal threats are frankly (and practically) non-existent, even in the US.

[NotMine999]

Just like the FSF sjw ragemob to exploit a horrible crisis for their suspect agendas

[vladpetric]

For example Image registration and image segmentation is used in medical image processing (think processing images acquired by using Computer Tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Tomography), and there are many patents related to this:

https://patents.google.com/?q=image+registration&oq=image+registration+

https://patents.google.com/?q=image+segmentation&oq=image+segmentation+

Incidentally, lung CT images can be used to diagnose COVID-19, and using these methods could be used to automatize and simplify part of this diagnosis.

Look, I accept what you're saying wrt software patents. It's a fair point.

Nonetheless, I have spoken to a researcher at a big pharma, and they say that if this is indeed an issue (they weren't aware of it), it's a tiny one in the fight against the virus. This is a person working on a covid 19 team.

They mentioned for instance the limited immunity as being a huge deal, for instance.

Unfortunately this is still a form of political propaganda - what I like to call the superzoom.

Pick up an issue, and then focus exclusively on it, and blow it up out of proportions - as if that's the only issue around. Then maybe make an argument that if anything else were equal, this would be important. I'm not talking about you here, FWIW.