Patents: Patents4Innovation is a new site set up by several European multinational companies to lobby for the legalisation of software patenting in Europe.
Their FAQ is good for a laugh, including an answer that basically says that the Patent Office needs to do a better job, and another which states that opponents of software patents have been unable to demonstrate any ‘convincing’ evidence of swpats causing economic harm (despite the FTC and PriceWaterhouseCoopers reports, which are pretty high-profile organisations).
But the best quote — in fact, the only quote — appears on their Testimonials and Quotes page. Here is in full:
“… successful and profitable high-tech enterprises seem to be characterised by holding patents and copyrights. These instruments might reduce the vulnerability of firms with respect to competition and equip them with a more favourable market position.”
Source: the “Observatory of European SMEs 2002 / No 6: High-tech SMEs in Europe”, commissioned by the European Commission
(My emphasis.) Of course, there’s nothing worse than having to compete on a level playing field. ;)
(Thanks to Christian Beauprez for spotting that!)