I think it's time for a "computer patents supervision agency" that controls and regulates the patenting in the computer industry.

The situation in the USA and Canada in the computer industry is such that everybody is patenting as much as possible in order to get a competitive advantage. When looking at the American constitution it says that patents are granted for the good of society. What's happening now in the computer industry is simply for the good of a "selected few".

As a start-up company in the computer industry it is getting harder and harder not to infringe any patents or copyrights since there are too many patents out there even obvious ones and/or prior art ones that should never have been granted.

Therefore, let an independent computer patents supervision agency take care of all this mess. Delegate people with plenty of know-how, preferably internet and computer oldies who have been around for a while as well as specialized databases with plenty of prior art and standard procedures. I believe this will free the computer industry from restricting patent law and will result in a competitive advantage for the whole country.
-- boris2, Mar 08 2001

Another way to solve the problem? http://www.halfbake...a/Privatize_20USPTO
[beauxeault, Mar 08 2001, last modified Oct 04 2004]

Where do you propose to find people who are both knowledgeable and independent?
-- bookworm, Mar 08 2001


here?
-- absterge, Mar 08 2001


The patent examiners are independent, and *should* be sufficiently knowledgeable to prevent more of the unjustifiable patents than they do.

Thinking more about a solution makes me wonder if it would be workable to privatize the patent office (see link).
-- beauxeault, Mar 08 2001



random, halfbakery