On Wed, Mar 16, 2005 at 08:42:29PM +0530, Ramanraj K wrote:
Mahesh T. Pai wrote:
Ramanraj K said on Wed, Mar 16, 2005 at 05:53:56AM +0530,:
<quote> Cyber expert and Supreme Court advocate Pawan Duggal pointed out that in the US, software itself is patentable.
Which is only the half the truth.
IIRC, it began when the US supreme Court directed the USPTO to grant a patent to a specific software hardware combination which controlled industrial production.
By executive action, software patents are being granted. I recall reading on Groklaw that if the US Supreme Court reverses its position, all software patents would be void there.
Unfortunately, no party to patent litigation in that country will raise a contention that software is not patentable, because that would be killing the goose that lays golden egges. A defendant in one case will be a plaintiff in another.
That is why the "WTO Legal System" exists, and India, along with other countries opposing grant of patents for computer programs could complain against the illegitimate practice before the WTO.
Do we have enough reason to trust the WTO system?
Nagarjuna