* Software Patents: Good Or Evil? (Part 1)

This week, I am speaking at the fourth annual Law and Technology Conference at the Technology Law Center of the University of Maine School of Law. I am taking a non-standard approach to this presentation. Rather than preparing PowerPoint slides (or the like), I will be posting a series of notes on my website.

This week, I am speaking at the fourth annual Law and Technology Conference at the Technology Law Center of the University of Maine School of Law. This year’s conference is entitled “Information Technology Ownership.”

My presentation is entitled “Software, E-commerce, and Web Standards Patents: Good or Evil?” I am taking a non-standard approach to this presentation. Rather than preparing PowerPoint slides (or the like), I will be posting a series of notes on my website. Since business is a conversation, some parts of this website allow users to enter their own content. We reserve the right to accept, reject, edit, or delete any content posted by users of this website. So don’t write anything that wouldn’t make your mother proud. See our common sense terms and conditions for details.

The following are the scheduled presentations for this year’s Law and Technology Conference.

1. Richard Stallman
   Founder, Free Software Foundation
   “Copyright vs. Community in the Age of Computer Networks”
2. Larry Rosen
   Founder, Rosenlaw.com; General Counsel, Open Source Initiative
   “Legal Guidance through Free Software and Open Source Licenses, and Proprietary Systems”
3. Emery Simon
   Counselor to Business Software Alliance
   “Global and Governmental Trends on Open vs. Proprietary Systems”
4. Jordan Pollack
   Professor, Brandeis University
   “Proprietary Systems and Piracy: A Proposed Solution”
5. Erik Heels
   Clock Tower Law Group
   “Software, E-commerce, and Web Standards Patents: Good or Evil?”
6. Eben Moglen
   Professor of Law, Columbia University School of Law; Counsel, Free Software Foundation
   “Keynote: Freeing the Mind: Free Software and the Death of Proprietary Culture”
7. Karen Hersey
   Visiting Professor of Law, Franklin Pierce Law Center
   “Seeing the Forest: Copyright, Anti-copyright and the Spaces In-Between”
8. Karen Copenhaver
   Partner, Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault LLP
   “Legal Landscape and Corporate Opportunities: Providing Assurances and Surviving Due Diligence”
9. David Martin
   President & CEO, M-CAM Inc.
   “Software, E-commerce and Web Standards Patents: Good or Evil?”
10. Harlan Onsrud
    Professor, University of Maine and Research Scientist, NCGIA
    “Hosted Dinner Speaker: Information Ownership: A Quandary in Science and Technology”
11. Doug Hurley
    Director of University Relationships, Gartner, Inc.
    “What Does Free Really Mean? Myths and Realities for Using Open Source Software”
12. Dan Ravicher
    Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler
    “Ethical Issues for IP Lawyers Writing and Litigating Software Patents”
13. Davis Klaila
    Senior Manager, ipCapital Group, Inc.
    “The Market for Non-Proprietary Tools: Making Money, Spotting Trends”

Related Posts

1. Software Patents: Good Or Evil? (Part 1) (6/15/2003)
   This week, I am speaking at the fourth annual Law and Technology Conference at the Technology Law Center of the University of Maine School of Law. I am taking a non-standard approach to this presentation. Rather than preparing PowerPoint slides (or the like), I will be posting a series of notes on my website.
2. Software Patents: Principled Dialog (Part 2) (6/15/2003)
   Whatever your position on software patents, or on patents in general, one thing is clear. Principled arguments are more interesting than unprincipled arguments.
3. Software Patents: Examples Of Unprincipled Arguments (Part 3) (6/15/2003)
   Many educated people are opposed to software patents, but few make principled arguments to support their positions.
4. Software Patents: Examples Of Principled Arguments (Part 4) (6/15/2003)
   The two most fascinating principles on which software patent proponents base their arguments are that 1) open source software is better than proprietary software and 2) free software is better than open source software.
5. Software Patents: Copyright Law Expansion And Lessig’s Software Patent Non Sequitur (Part 5) (6/15/2003)
   Lessig argues convincingly for limiting the extension of copyright terms but argues unconvincingly against software patents.
6. Software Patents: IETF Standards (Part 6) (6/15/2003)
   For now, the IETF has not changed its policy about using patented technologies in the standards process. The tension between the IETF and the open source community will likely increase as open source software continues to grow in popularity.
7. Software Patents: W3C Standards (Part 7) (6/16/2003)
   The open source community has generally viewed the W3C’s decision on patents in standards as a victory.
8. Software Patents: Final HERTS (Hypotheticals, Examples, Rants, Thoughts, And Stats) (Part 8) (6/16/2003)
   Using open source software is a bit like reading Entertainment Weekly. Lots of people do it but few admit it. Plus other observations that didn’t fit anywhere else.
9. Software Patents Epilogue (7/16/2003)
   The 2003 Law and Technology Conference at the Technology Law Center of the University of Maine School of Law was the most fun I’ve had at a conference in years.