O’er lawyers’ fingers, who straight dream on fees
Shylock: Most learned judge, a sentence! Come prepare! Portia: Tarry a little, there is something else. This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood; The words expressly are “a pound of flesh.” (painting by Alexandre Canbanel. The Merchant of Venice) The jury has decided. SAP owes Oracle 1.3 Billion dollars. I’ll leave others […]
The Problem with Software Patents
Software patents are a disaster for innovation. The system is asymmetrical, in the sense that it is very expensive to defend against a patent suit. At the same time, it is very easy to get a patent on almost anything, including things people have no business getting patents on. I have a friend who was […]
Digital economy meets dinosaur politics
Digital citizens are disgusted at the way the UK parliament rushed Internet censorship provisions into law last night. The political establishment is out of touch with the rapid pace of change unleashed by the Internet.
