Fortunes

• "A computer program as such cannot constitute a patentable invention". I should take that as clear, and should lay any kind of apprehensions that, by some magical means, a computer program as such could after all become patentable, once again let me read it out for all clarity's sake: "A computer program as such cannot constitute a patentable invention". -- Frits Bolkestein, DG Markt, Council 18th May 04

• IE: And Denmark? Can I hear from Denmark please?
• DK: I would really like to ask the commission why they couldn't accept the last sentence put forward by the Italians. Which was in the original German proposal.
• IE: I think the Commissioner already answered that question, I'm sorry Denmark. So are you yes, no, abstain?
• DK: I think we wouldn't, we're not hap...
• IE: Can I assume you're a "yes"?
• DK: We're not happy
• IE: But are you 80% happy?
• DK: But... I think we...
• IE: We don't need you you to be totally happy. None of us are totally happy.
• DK: I know that, I know that.
• IE: If we were, we wouldn't be here
• Crowd: Laugther
• DK: I think we're not very happy, but I think we would, we would...
• IE: Thank you very much
• DK: ... we would like to see a solution today.
• IE: Thank you very much, Denmark.

• "All the methods we have looked at for streaming audio and video over the Internet are covered by our patents" --Rob Berman, senior vice president and general counsel, Acacia

• "Software patents are like landmines for programmers. At each design decision, there is a chance you will step on a patent and it will destroy your project. Considering the large number of ideas that must be combined in a modern program, the danger becomes very large." -- Richard Stallman

• "If the European Parliament follows JURI in ignoring public opinion and all scientific studies, we will see large license payments from the European to the American software industry, lots of litigation based on software patents, Internet patents and business method patents, and some very unfavorable effects for open source software. And introducing a large number of new monopoly rights in the information society sector certainly won't help with the EU strategic goal "to become the most competitive and knowledge-based economy in the world."" -- Dr. Karl Friedrich Lenz, professor of European Law in Tokyo

• "If people had understood how patents would be granted when most of today's ideas were invented and had taken out patents, the industry would be at a complete standstill today. ... The solution is patenting as much as we can. A future startup with no patents of its own will be forced to pay whatever price the giants choose to impose. That price might be high. Established companies have an interest in excluding future competitors." --Bill Gates, 1991

• "Today I received a polite phone call from a fellow at Microsoft who works in the Windows Media group. He informed me that Microsoft has intellectual property rights on the ASF format and told me that, although the implementation was still illegal since it infringed on Microsoft patents. I have asked for the specific patent numbers, since I find patenting a file format a bit strange. At his request, and much to my own sadness, I have removed support for ASF in VirtualDub 1.3d, since I cannot risk a legal confrontation.)" --Avery Lee, 2000

• "I had to stop this project, because I cannot afford to pay an army of lawyers every time someone wants to impose conditions on my work. Software developpers react very sensitively to this kind of terrorism. If European politicians legalise software patents in Europe, that will work as a disinscentive to software production in Europe." --Marcel Martin, 2001

• "The definition of the concept of invention, which is constitutionalized in the Nordic countries, contains the requirement that the invention must have a technical character. An exact definition of what this means can hardly be given, but within the concept lies definitely a requirement that an invention must be a solution of a problem by means of natural forces, i.e. by means of a causally determined use of natural matter and energy." Preamble of Nordic Patent Law of 1963

• "This release doesn't include DTS audio decoding support. DTS Inc. claims that distributing this software with DTS decoding capabilities is a violation of their patent EP 864 146. At DTS Inc. request, we decided, as a precautionary measure, to provisionally suspend the distribution of VLC with DTS decoding capabilities while reviewing DTS Inc. claim. This is not an acknowledgement of the validity of the claim." --Videolan project, 03 oct 2004

• Automated IP lobbyist says: "we must stop the drift, only technical video tapes should be patentable, video tapes as such must not be patentable". --codeliberty.org