President Obama on Patents in a Google+ Hangout

President Obama responds to a question in a Google+ Hangout to discuss his State of the Union Address. Watch the full hangout: http://youtu.be/kp_zigxMS-Y

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  News & Politics

[Wes Finley]

We already have copyright to protect software. We don't need patents to monopolize arbitrary mathematical functions. 

[LrdZanny]

The only solution I personally would put up with is the abolishment of software patents entirely. Software is math, and the formulas you try to patent are just that - mathematical formulas. While we may have a tradition of enforcing individual monopoly of numbers, we used to not have one enforcing the monopoly of math.

[Forrest Cahoon]

He talks about "bringing all the players to the table" but the players who are benefiting from the existing patent regime have all the power. Unless he's willing to *advocate* for the small start-ups whose innovation is being crushed by these dubious patents, nothing will change -- and we will all continue to suffer from the lack of innovation and artificially high tech prices that result.

[GeorgeJr Washington]

does he know math?

[syscrusher1709]

I'm an Obama supporter and also a software developer, but I didn't hear a lot of specifics in that message. Software patents, unless they were modified to have an extremely short duration (2 years or less) are a horrible idea, because the only people qualified to determine whether there is prior art for a patent claim, or that the patent claim is or is not obvious to someone trained in the field, are programmers, not lawyers -- and they aren't allowed to be in charge of the USPTO.

[Michael Safyan]

This was the longest non-answer I've heard in a while.

[happilea]

Patents and exploitation of them is what is giving corporate America control of the food supply. Like MONSANTO. I guess you people think its ok if these snakes control the food supply, they patented seeds now. You think things are bad now, just wait till corporate America takes over the super market.

[Bryan Sheasby]

Oh, you noticed that too? Politicians are always talking in platitudes because it means that later down the road you can't pin them down and say that they flip flopped on such and such an issue because in reality they have just always been ignorant and never took a stance but just said "ya, that's a problem and something should be done, post haste".

[Bryan Sheasby]

Here is a fun fact. You couldn't tell the difference between a GPL and a EULA if your life depended on it. Stop playing the expert when all your comments show your ignorance.