

Oracle 1994: Patents aren't good for our industry where innovation occur rapidly - patrickaljord
http://www.fsf.org/news/oracle-v-google

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patrickaljord
Full quote from <http://www.bustpatents.com/articles/oracle.htm>

Oracle Corporation opposes the patentability of software. The Company believes
that existing copyright law and available trade secret protections, as opposed
to patent law, are better suited to protecting computer software developments.

Patent law provides to inventors an exclusive right to new technology in
return for publication of the technology. This is not appropriate for
industries such as software development in which innovations occur rapidly,
can be made without a substantial capital investment, and tend to be creative
combinations of previously-known techniques.

Even if patent law were appropriate for protection of software, due to the
large volume of recently-granted software patents and the rising number of new
applications, the current patent process would continue to be troublesome for
the software industry. Software patent examinations are hindered by the
limited capability of searching prior art, by the turnover rate among
examiners in the Patent and Trademark Office, and by the confusion surrounding
novelty and innovation in the software arena. The problem is exacerbated by
varying international patent laws, which both raise the cost and confuse the
issue of patent protection.

Unfortunately, as a defensive strategy, Oracle has been forced to protect
itself by selectively applying for patents which will present the best
opportunities for cross-licensing between Oracle and other companies who may
allege patent infringement.

