France To Launch a National Patent Troll 179
zoobab writes "France is creating a state sponsored patent fund, FranceBrevets, which primary focus will be to sponsor, acquire and license patents in the ICT (read software patents) sector. The patent fund is at the initiative of the minister of Research, Valérie Pécresse, the Ministry of Industry, Energy and digital economy, Eric Besson. The primary target of the fund is to collect licenses on those patents, which is already seen in France as the biggest patent troll of the country. France is also supporting the European Unitary Patent, which is seen by many at the final attempt to validate software patents in Europe."
Godwin (Score:4, Insightful)
You remember the Third Reich? Get rid of the racism and the sense of urgency, and you basically have the EU in a couple of decades. If I think of the number of freedoms I've lost both this and that side of the Pond since 1995, I wonder whether it's immoral to carry on being productive.
Finality (Score:5, Insightful)
France is also supporting the European Unitary Patent, which is seen by many at the final attempt to validate software patents in Europe.
Correction : this will only be the final attempt if it succeeds. Otherwise, stand by for many more.
Shrug? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Godwin (Score:3, Insightful)
Don't politicians learn? (Score:5, Insightful)
The whole world witnesses the stagnation to software development caused by the incessant court battles about software patents in the USofA and then they want a similar system!
But then most of them are probably lawyers by trade so they see opportunities...
Lets hope other nations like the Germans can stop this nonsense taking hold in EU legislation.
Re:Shrug? (Score:2, Insightful)
Well, given that we (in the US) currently have a government that thinks "Atlas Shrugged" is a great story about how to run a railroad
We should make it a test for anyone standing for office - if you think that Atlas Shrugged is great then you're banned.
Re:Welcome to 1984 (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Godwin (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Godwin (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Godwin (Score:3, Insightful)