Joff Wild wrote in the (excellent) IAM blog that he thought people having fought against the european CII directive, and software patents in Europe in general, were wrong, even if “many of them run companies too”.
I am one of them, and I’d like to shed some light on the debate by exploring the differences between the usual defenders and adversaries of software patents.
June 18, 2007 at 5.01 pm
· Filed under French politics 
I once questionned how life would look like with both mandates of the President and the Prime Minister in the hands of only one almost married couple.
They’ve lost elections, but they lost more: Ségolène Royal and François Hollande broke up.
Whatever the (private) reasons behind this, they’re both professional politicians, so beyond the good reasons, it’s difficult not to think the real reason is that their relationship couldn’t stand their careers.
Whatever one may think from a political point of view, it’s always a sad thing when a love story comes to an end, especially since they got four children together.
Even in politics, the french way is always a story of the heart…
Wired ran a half-serious, half-fun readers’ contest to find ways to fix the “broken patent system” (their words, not mine). Here are the results.
There are some jewels among more mundane ideas. The separation between innovation and patents was outlined. There’s the idea that a patent should cost a recurring fee to its holder (”use it or lose it”), something I believe deeply in the field of copyright, but don’t think could work for patents.
However there’s one sentence that I think is so true that it can’t be repeated often enough, especially when talking with those European commissioners that are still mistaking patents for innovation: With little innovation, we are competing on the basis of labor cost.
It’s ballot time again, and today french citizens elect their president for the next five years. The contenders are the favorite Nicolas Sarkozy, a quite radical right-wing leader, and Ségolène Royal, the Socialist Party (Parti Socialiste or PS in french) champion.
I’ve already blogged about some weaknesses of the french PS, but my wife told me a story pointing to more, and this is were the marketing comes to the stage.
Ségolène Royal est arrivée au 2nd Tour (cf. mon post précédent).
Au cours du dernier débat télévisuel qui l’a opposée à Nicolas Sarkozy, elle a été bien meilleure communicante (et donc candidate) que la plupart ne l’aurait pensé, moi y compris.
Les sondages la donnent cependant perdante au 2nd tour, qui aura lieu Dimanche. Il ne faut préjuger de rien avant que le résultat définitif soit connu, mais tel n’est pas le sujet du jour.
J’aimerais pointer 2 faiblesses de la campagne du PS (ou force de la campagne de Nicolas Sarkozy) et ce qui me semble être une faiblesse structurelle du PS dans sa stratégie d’orientation.
As I’m going to vote in a few moments for the french presidential elections, I can’t help but think: if Segolène Royal (the socialist candidate, that is, the left wing) is elected, what’s going to happen to her husband, François Hollande, who’s heading the Socialist party ?
February 23, 2007 at 10.40 am
· Filed under brèves
A Huge amount, even for Redmond giant.
Ok, this is only first stage, they’ll appeal.
Microsoft’s always been a strong supporter of software patents in Europe (notably through BSA funding). May be they gonna think twice now.
Even if they can settle the case for a reasonable amount of money, how long before they get a hit they can’t stand ?
How many more before people understand that software patents turn the world’s business into a minefield where nobody can master the risks ?
And like with any minefield, everybody gets hurt, everybody loses.
Like it or not, the economy of the “free stuff” is growing, and this is only the beginning. People (like the music and movie industries) are in to jump from their old economic models to the next one. Others, like the daily newspapers, are standing up on their surf boards already, riding the wave of the 21st century economy. The difference may be what both camps call a “provider” or a “customer”…
With more than 1.6 millions IPTV subscribers (for 30 € / month, complete with 15+ Mb/s internet access and unlimited phone calls included), France is one of the most advance country in the world for VOD. And french ISPs are rolling out plans to offer “subscription” VOD to their customers. By your french truly…
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If you sell rights on immaterial goods for a living, may be your customers aren’t the people using your products… Read the rest of this entry »
