About trivial software patents: the IsNot case Jan Bergstra - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 Jan Bergstra & Paul Klint: About “Trivial” software patents: the IsNot case

About “trivial” software patents: the IsNot case

Jan Bergstra Paul Klint Further info: www.cwi.nl/~paulk/patents

2 Jan Bergstra & Paul Klint: About “Trivial” software patents: the IsNot case

The IsNot patent application abstract

• A system, method and computer-readable

medium support the use of a single operator that allows a comparison of two variables to determine if the two variables point to the same location in memory.

• Application by lead developers of Microsoft's

Visual Basic team

3 Jan Bergstra & Paul Klint: About “Trivial” software patents: the IsNot case

The Isnot Patent application 1 of 24 claims

• A system for determining if two operands point to

different locations in memory, the system comprising: a compiler for receiving source code and generating executable code from the source code, the source code comprising an expression comprising an operator associated with a first

• perand and a second operand, the expression

evaluating to true when the first operand and the second operand point to different memory locations.

4 Jan Bergstra & Paul Klint: About “Trivial” software patents: the IsNot case

The IsNot Patent Application analysis

• Hey, this is about != in C, Java or C#!
• Or about .NE. in Fortran
• Or about BNE in assembler
• Isn't this prior art?
• Does MS really mean that they invented the

inequality operator?

5 Jan Bergstra & Paul Klint: About “Trivial” software patents: the IsNot case

The IsNot Patent Application analysis

• Is there some hidden intention in this application?
• Is this about a hidden trick in the Basic compiler?
• Is the intention to challenge the patent system?

– You must agree: this is a beauty in its simplicity

• We don't know!

We have written an Open Letter to Microsoft to clarify this, see www.cwi.nl/~paulk/patents

6 Jan Bergstra & Paul Klint: About “Trivial” software patents: the IsNot case

How can we reconcile the patent system and the Software Engineering Life Cycle?

7 Jan Bergstra & Paul Klint: About “Trivial” software patents: the IsNot case

Patent Life Cycle

Granted Revoked Rejected Expired Oppose Appeal Extend License Challenge Apply

• Max. duration

reached Act on infringement

Patent Life cycle

= action by applicant = action by third party = end of life Withdrawn

8 Jan Bergstra & Paul Klint: About “Trivial” software patents: the IsNot case

Software Life Cycle

V &V = Validation and Verification Maintenance V & V Testing V & V Implementation V & V Design V & V Requirements engineering V & V

Software Life Cycle

9 Jan Bergstra & Paul Klint: About “Trivial” software patents: the IsNot case

Patent-aware Software Life Cycle defensive

Patent-aware Software Life Cycle

V &V = Validation and Verification Maintenance V & V Patent Validation Testing V & V Patent Validation Implementation V & V Patent Validation Design V & V Patent Validation Requirements engineering V & V Patent Validation

10 Jan Bergstra & Paul Klint: About “Trivial” software patents: the IsNot case

Patent-based Software Life Cycle

• ffensive

Patent-based Software Life Cycle

V &V = Validation and Verification Maintenance V & V Patent Validation Patent Application Testing V & V Patent Validation Patent Application Implementation V & V Patent Validation Patent Application Design V & V Patent Validation Patent Application Requirements engineering V & V Patent Validation Patent Application

11 Jan Bergstra & Paul Klint: About “Trivial” software patents: the IsNot case

IPR-based Software Life Cycle

• ffensive

IPR-based Software Life Cycle

V &V = Validation and Verification Maintenance V & V IPR Validation IPR Application? Keep secret? Testing V & V IPR Validation IPR Application? Keep secret? Implementation V & V IPR Validation IPR Application? Keep secret? Design V & V IPR Validation IPR Application? Keep secret? Requirements engineering V & V IPR Validation IPR Application? Keep secret?

12 Jan Bergstra & Paul Klint: About “Trivial” software patents: the IsNot case

Observations

• Status of prior art and claims is unclear
• Software patenting badly needs input from

software engineers and is a topic for research:

– formalization of prior art and claims – inventory of all prior art related to software – alternative patenting systems – automatic infringement detection

• Publicly analyse and annotate software patents:

Gauss project (http://gauss.ffii.org/GaussFrontPage)

13 Jan Bergstra & Paul Klint: About “Trivial” software patents: the IsNot case

Time for Discussion

Further info: www.cwi.nl/~paulk/patents Open source: Sense and Simplicity for the software engineer (suggested by a Philips researcher) OSS =