Software patents

''The patent system is misused to restrain competition for the economical benefit of a few but fails to promote innovation. A software market environment is better off with no patents on software at all. Healthy competition forces market players to innovate. '' [source]

''One thing I do feel pretty certain of is that if you're against software patents, you're against patents in general. Gradually our machines consist more and more of software. Things that used to be done with levers and cams and gears are now done with loops and trees and closures. There's nothing special about physical embodiments of control systems that should make them patentable, and the software equivalent not.
...
I think the problem is more with the patent office than the concept of software patents. Whenever software meets government, bad things happen, because software changes fast and government changes slow. The patent office has been overwhelmed by both the volume and the novelty of applications for software patents, and as a result they've made a lot of mistakes.
...
the patent office takes a while to understand new technology. If so, this problem will only get worse, because the rate of technological change seems to be increasing. '' [source]

''Strong lobbying by those who oppose liberalisation of the software patent regime in Europe has resulted in the Directive being repeatedly rejected by the European Parliament. The Council of Ministers continues to promote its adoption. The history of these battles is complex and involved. To summarise, more than three years have passed and much concentrated lobbying by both sides of the debate has resulted in deadlock and no real change to the wording of the Directive. The anti-patent groups have shown themselves to be extremely effective in mobilising opinion and tackling well-funded opposition. It remains to be seen if, realistically, they can hold the pro-patent lobby to a draw in perpetuity. '' [source]