Bezos reponse to Tim O'Reilly

[Kristian Köhntopp <kk@netuse.de>]

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/03/09/1452221&mode=nocomment
für eine Einführung

Bezos schreibt in
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/misc/patents.html/103-3817438-0036605
Dinge, die so auch schon auf debate gelaufen sind: Thomas Roesslers Idee mit
dem Peer Review (4.) und die verkürzte Laufzeit:

1. That the patent laws should recognize that business method and software patents are fundamentally different than other kinds of patents. 

2. That business method and software patents should have a much shorter lifespan than the current 17 years -- I would propose 3 to 5 years. This isn't like drug companies, which need long patent windows because of clinical testing, oor like complicated physical processes, where you might have to tool up and build factories. Especially in the age of the Internet, a good software innovation can catch a lot of wind in 3 or 5 years. 

3. That when the law changes, this new lifespan should take effect retroactively so that we don't have to wait 17 years for the current patents to enter the public domain. 

4. That for business method and software patents there be a short (maybe 1 month?) public comment period before the patent number is issued. This would give the Internet community the opportunity to provide prior art references to the patent examiners at a time when it could really help. (Thanks to my friend Brewster Kahle for this suggestion.) 

-- 
Kristian Köhntopp, NetUSE Kommunikationstechnologie GmbH
Siemenswall, D-24107 Kiel, Germany, +49 431 386 436 00
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