Software Patents to the Rescue!

I came across this brilliant piece of satire today and just had to share. I didn't write it, but I'm on board with his/her thinking:

For years, the computer field ran out of control. People were trying new ideas left and right -- and far too many of them got away with it.

Can you imagine? Anyone with an idea was able to implement it. Vast corporate holdings were powerless to stop individual inventors. The nation was flooded with new concepts, creating widespread prosperity; worse yet, there was no way to funnel the profits into traditional collection pools.

Fortunately, our business leaders discovered the "Software Patent". With a software patent, you can cut off whole fields of creativity with a modicum of funding and a willingness to sue.

You may think your company's idea is too common or trivial for a patent. Don't sell yourself short. Almost every software patent is trivial, but do you see the investors complaining?

And if you're like us, you'd give anything to slow down the unpredictable progress of invention. Isn't that the purpose of patents?

Software Patents

Because extortionists are people too

Since I received this from one of my coworkers I'm keeping this post private for now. Maybe he wrote it himself, I don't know, but clearly I should check with him first to see if he's cool with my posting it publically.