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comment by neptath
neptath  ·  3865 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: New Zealand bans software patents.

Interestingly enough, I couldn't fine mention of this in any mainstream news outlet -- not even tech-oriented ones such as Gizmodo and whatnot. The best I could do is a press release from the NZ Institute of IT Professionals reprinted by Yahoo Finance NZ and a Forbes article from May, when this provision was officially and finally added to the bill.

I wonder why nobody's talking about it? Just too early in the news cycle?





mk  ·  3865 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I think the title is overstated. I did some looking around, and it seems to restrict software patents to those that improve hardware, so it's not an all-out ban.

neptath  ·  3865 days ago  ·  link  ·  

That makes sense though, it allows software that extends something mechanical to be patented. The example given in the official document (PDF) is software that improves the efficiency of a washing machine. Just as a new type of agiator or door would be patented, so could the software. Software for the sake of software, however, is banned, and I think that's what the title meant. I don't know if I'd call the title overstated, maybe just a bit unintentionally misleading.