Software patents a threat for education?

Sean Mehan (http://www.weblogs.uhi.ac.uk/sm00sm/?p=229 and http://www.weblogs.uhi.ac.uk/sm00sm/?p=228) posts an interesting analysis on the Blackboard patent application.

This is just one of many examples that illustrate the problems with software patents (more: http://www.nosoftwarepatents.com/). It is a perfect example of how software patents threaten independent innovative software design and technology enhanced learning.

Need more examples? Look at this: http://webshop.ffii.org/

It also shows how an abstract legal decision can have deep (and irreversible) impact on a very personal level. What would happen if other VLE’s, LMS’s and other learning systems have to pay license fees to Blackboard? That would probably kill 80% of them and it would leave the other 20% crippled.
That would surely kill innovation in this area, the same way as we have seen in other area’s where the market is overshadowed by one major monopolist.

I’m sure that the Lisbon Agenda and the commissions Lifelong Learning policy are not helped by this.

I would like to refer to the petition on http://flosse.dicole.org/?item=don-t-allow-software-patents-to-threaten-technology-enhanced-learning-in-europe that was signed by over 500 concerned people. (http://flosse.dicole.org/petition/)

Add comment August 2nd, 2006