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IP: UK courts strike down patents on computer programs (fwd)
From: Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>
Date: Sun, 16 Mar 1997 19:08:16 -0500
To: declan () well com Subject: UK courts strike down Patent on compputer programs! Just got this from the Time Law reports: http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/97/03/14/timlawcoa01002.html? [The site requires registration] A patent application, entitled "Method and apparatus for creating synthetic crystal structure images", in essence a method for modelling on computer a crystal structure for use in designing inorganic materials in the field of chemistry and physics, was a computer program as such, and thus not a patentable invention. The judgement does not rule out patents on algorithms but rules out many of the type of abusive patents common in the US such as the infamous Britannica multimedia patent. The court appeared to be basing its judgement on the European patents treaty so the effect may be considerably wider than just the UK. Phill -------------------------------------------------------------------------- This list is public. To join fight-censorship-announce, send "subscribe fight-censorship-announce" to majordomo () vorlon mit edu. More information is at http://www.eff.org/~declan/fc/ -- Stanton McCandlish mech () eff org Electronic Frontier Foundation Program Director
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- IP: UK courts strike down patents on computer programs (fwd) Dave Farber (Mar 16)