New Zealand government closes door on software patents
The ruling party in New Zealand has decided to drop a controversial plan to expand patenting of software in the island nation. The move was hailed by IT professionals and open Internet advocates.
Earlier versions of the government's proposed overhaul to New Zealand's patent laws seemed to open the door to patents on software by only excluding patents that covered "a computer program as such." The opposition Labour Party warned that the words "as such" could be "fatal for Kiwi innovation," as it would be easy for companies to draft patents that effectively covered software inventions without claiming software "as such."
"It's not too late for Mr. Foss to change his mind and listen to our Kiwi software innovators," a Labour spokeswoman said earlier this year. "If not then his legacy will be one of massive failure for our local software industry."
