News, info, and opinion by Mac users, for Mac users.

August 31, 2007

legal

Apple digs deep on patent reform

Posted Aug. 31, ’07, 9:26 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Legal

Patent SealAccording to an article in Forbes, Apple’s spent quite the bundle on lobbying for patent reform. Cupertino’s laid down $720,000 this year (or, in layman’s terms, more money than I’ve ever had) to lobby for retooling the patent system. Here’s what’s in play:

Trade groups for high-tech industries favor legislation that would help weed out bad patents by allowing companies to re-evaluate them after they are granted. The groups say this could help companies avoid financial burden of defending patents in lengthy court cases.

The company also advocated bills that would increase funding for technology education and provide tax breaks for company spending on research and development.

The patent system as it stands right now is clearly in need of a little brushing up; maybe a new coat of paint. Whether Apple’s plans for reform are the right solution remains to be seen, but we know how much Apple loooooves patents. Man, I think they’d just make patents all day if they could. Maybe they don’t even need to make products at all. Just patents.

[via The Mac Observer]


Leave a comment

 



Visit other IDG sites: