[Corpora-List] Patent application for "Referent tracking of portions of reality"

[Pavel Vondřička]

> are also some positives here. For one, it forces us to reflect on our
> research and see what aspects are really original.

Good point. Do you believe we can find a clear answer, borderline...?

> technique to argue against any human activity; there are always horror
> stories.

Right. But the situation particularly with "software" patents has come
far beyond all borders of sanity. At last in the US, as far as I know.
It reminds me of the Cold War: large companies like Microsoft, Apple,
Sun, etc. have themselves no other choice but to collect large amounts
of trivial "patents" just to protect themselves from attacks and
blackmailing from each other and the so called "patent trolls" (whose
only purpose of existence is blackmailing others by second-hand patents
aquired from bankrupt companies). It does not protect innovation anymore
- it is part of "grey" business strategy, an endless arms-race, which
only effectively excludes small independent innovators.

> more people are applying for patents. But, when courts start throwing
> out more and more stupid patent cases, the patent holders will start
> to realize that it's not worth the cost of applying for and defending
> them. Then, the world might become a happier place.

I wish you were right! That is how it *should* work. (Maybe it still
does somewhere? Japan?)
But who shall judge what is "stupid" and what is real innovation? Judges
and lawyers who can hardly have any idea of the state-of-the-art in
technology, science...?

Pavel

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