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Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Mr. Eben Moglen Considering Death of Patent Law.

Ms. Ingrid Marson has published

an Interview with

Mr. Eben Moglen.

Mr. Moglen is a professor of law and history of law at Columbia University, serves pro bono as General Counsel for the Free Software Foundation, and is the Chairman of Software Freedom Law Center.

"[...][Question:] Last year, the European Parliament rejected the software patent directive. Do you see this as a sign that the attitudes toward software patents are changing?

Moglen: (The rejection of the directive) was a great success in politicizing what had until then been a niche subject. It was an announcement that patents is something that politics should be about-like transport, health and education.

Is there a change in attitude towards patents? I don't know yet. In 50 years from now, or 100 years from now, the ownership of ideas is going to seem repugnant and the patent system won't exist anymore. But that is going to require a confrontation of cataclysmic proportions, from people who right now don't know anything about patents. [...]"

A "confrontation of cataclysmic proportions", what would that mean in practical terms?

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ŤA "confrontation of cataclysmic proportions", what would that mean in practical terms?ť

Maybe it means they will go out in the streets and burn cars and embassies until they get some "respect" for their anti-intellectual property ideas? :-)

# posted by Jean-Claude : 23 March, 2006 03:16