Heads up: Israel software patents

[geoffrey mendelson]

On Dec 13, 2009, at 9:42 AM, Oron Peled wrote:

> Watch out, the land grab is heading our way...

Or depending upon your point of view, about to end.


> "The Israeli Patent Office (IPO) has launched a consultation on  
> whether
>  or not to allow software patents, with a February 2010 deadline"


IMHO it's a move toward regaining lost relevancy. For a long time now,  
it's been much cheaper, easier and useful to file a US patent  
application, and then file a Patent Cooperation Treaty application in  
Israel. If the US patent is approved, the PCT application is given a  
rubber stamp.

They are hoping to move the large flow of Israeli money to the US  
patent office back home. If you figure about half of the patent  
applications from Israeli companies filed in the US are for software,  
that's a lot of money to keep here. Now if they were to accept  
applications in English (they may do already, I have NEVER met anyone  
who filed an Israeli patent), it and offered quick service, it would  
be worth it to file here and PCT to the US instead of the current  
method.

IMHO your time would be better spent not fighting software patents  
totally, as that would go against what they want. If you present  
arguments of what is wrong with the US system and how a better, saner  
implementation can be accomplished, they may just decide it's too much  
effort and expense.

Geoff.


-- 
geoffrey mendelson N3OWJ/4X1GM
Jerusalem Israel geoffreymendelson at gmail.com