Hi Folks, The Australian government is requesting comments in a review of "innovation patents". Submissions close *this Friday* 14 October. This is a rare opportunity to be heard. Please write to <mail.acip@ipaustralia.gov.au>, explaining the problems of software patents and pointing out that "innovation patents" are the same, but worse. (I've added some notes below to help get you started.) Important: 1. Please focus on software patents only, not patents in general. 2. Please BCC to <swpat@sturm.com.au>. 3. Try get your colleagues and organisation to co-sign. For more on the campaign, please visit: http://endsoftpatents.org/australia. The ACIP review: http://www.acip.gov.au/reviews.html#patsys Thanks for your help. Regards, Ben Sturmfels Ideas for your email ==================== Please feel free use your own words and ideas too. FYI: "Innovation patents" came about in 2000 as a replacement for "petty patents". They have a term of 8 years (std. patents 20 years), minimal examination and much lower barrier of "inventiveness" - easy to get, just as hard to defeat. Intro ideas: software patents in general ---------------------------------------- - you're in the software industry - patents on computation and information processing do the opposite of promoting innovation - harmful to both software industry and society - as such should be abolished - you're one of the thousands who signed the paper petition to the House of Representatives calling for this Body ideas: "innovation patents" are the same but worse ------------------------------------------------------- - pose all the same risks as standard patents - are worse because they have lower requirements for examination and inventiveness - should also be abolished Closing ideas: -------------- - you wish you'd been aware of the 2009 Review of Patentable Subject Matter so you could have commented on that too