New Zealanders, unite against Kiwi Software Patents

[k2t0f12d]

http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/SC/MakeSub/e/c/4/49SCCOpatentsbill200907021-Patents-Bill.htm

Submissions to the Parliamentary select committee are closed after 2nd July. Have your say before software patents are a reality in New Zealand.

[GCFreak]

Oh no... I cannot begin to express how useless patents are and how they are such a waste of time, now that they're coming to New Zealand, umm, yeah, not happy.

[frup]

I will certainly be submitting a submission.

Now to begin reading all 261 pages of the legislation draft. I hope I get there in time.


Edit
Page 52 of the PDF I downloaded specifically mentions software and business methods. This is the only place I could find anything related to software, with out reading it very intensely it will be difficult to ascertain exactly how this would affect FOSS etc. in NZ.

Interestingly page 52 also says "There is no economic advantage to New Zealand
in doing this, and, potentially, there is a net economic cost to New
Zealand given that more than 90% of patent owners are from over*
seas
"

I'm going to base my submission along the lines of how patents stifle innovation, not enhance it, using quotes such from people such Isaac Newton who said something along the lines of “I stand on the shoulders of Giants” referring to how the building on others work is enabling.

I will promote the cause of open source software, state how in the rapidly changing world of software 20 years is too long for a patent anyway and that software patents are not in the interest of the New Zealand public.

I'm going to spend the next hour or so reading the bill some more (or what ever it is that I have downloaded) I will then try to gather information... if anyone has information to share that would be helpful, I hope you do in the spirit of opposition to this bill.

Also does anyone know of any organisations opposing this bill and how our submissions could be beneficial and corroborative to theirs? (eg FSF NZ???) I'm going to guess you need to be fairly accurate in your opposition and rational. I've never done something like this before.

[ad_267]

Best of luck frup! There's the http://nzoss.org.nz/New Zealand Open Source Society. I'm not sure if they're aware of this or are planning a submission but they would probably be interested if you contacted them.

[lisati]

I might change my name by deed poll to "Pat Pending"

[Vitamin-Carrot]

:(

[Giant Speck]

I'm glad my country doesn't have software patents.

Wait......

[SunnyRabbiera]

I'm glad my country doesn't have software patents.

Wait......

You live in Alaska, you live in the US and software patents are all over the place here.
You have to go to a place like Tibet to get away from them

[Giant Speck]

You live in Alaska, you live in the US and software patents are all over the place here.
You have to go to a place like Tibet to get away from them

Look up. Is the joke still flying over your head?

[SunnyRabbiera]

Look up. Is the joke still flying over your head?

hehe yes, but the going to Tibet thing is definitely no joke...
Tibet actually sounds good these days, far from civilization and nice tall mountains to become a hermit in.

[Giant Speck]

hehe yes, but the going to Tibet thing is definitely no joke...
Tibet actually sounds good these days, far from civilization and nice tall mountains to become a hermit in.

Actually, with the political strife that is occurring in Tibet right now, it's one of the last places I would want to be.

[SunnyRabbiera]

Actually, with the political strife that is occurring in Tibet right now, it's one of the last places I would want to be.

Still mountains sound fine to me, I wonder how things are going in the alps...