Sean et al,
In a recent case with HEI 'xx' a project was not funded because of IP
rights not being retained by the HEI.
Despite our assertion that IP rights were vested in the community and
furthermore HEI xx would still maintain the IP rights for their unique
uses of the generic system, HEI xx seemed uniterested.
We tried to explain that the content product such as a software based
learning package could still be deemed 'theirs', so clearly there is
much sentiment with in education to protect and exploit software based IP.
I would say its understandable that indiviuals and individual HEI's,
FEI's and even schools want to maintain their IP, perhaps even create
commercial opportunities, so my concern is where the differences are
between patentable system and copyrightable content... My own experience
of UK patent law is most software is not patentable, particularly at the
generic level.
I imagine that most content is protectable and many will want to protect
there software based learning packages.
I would consider patenting system only to
a. to protect against large commercial organisations exploiting the same
or reverse engineered process and somehow blocking our own rights to use
the technology by patenting first
b. to protect the investment of a community
The whole process of protecting intellectual property stifles creativity
IMHO and should be avoided by those making and doing things :) life is
to short, if your organisation can afford a person who enjoys this
challenge pass it on to them on the other hand if I made a living purely
from my creative outputs then I would want to be in an organisation that
would protect them ethically.
Cheers
Sel
Sean Mehan wrote:
> Dear Bodders,
>
> I am part of a working party that has been trying to organize
> opposition to upcoming proposed legislation aimed at implementing
> prohibitive software patents that would hamper teaching and learning.
> Please go
> to http://flosse.dicole.org/?item=don-t-allow-software-patents-to-threaten-technology-enhanced-learning-in-europe
> and read it, and if you agree that this would be a bad thing, consider
> signing the petition.
>
> Thanks,
> Sean Mehan
>
>
>
>
>
> Sean Mehan
>
> Head of e-Frameworks
>
> Learning and Information Services
>
> UHI - www.uhi.ac.uk <http://www.uhi.ac.uk>
>
> www.weblogs.uhi.ac.uk/sm00sm/
>
> --------------------
>
> GuanXi - a SAML/Shibboleth IdP, SP and Toolkit -
> http://guanxi.sourceforge.net/
>
> --------------------
>
> Bodington - a Free VLE - http://bodington.sourceforge.net/
>
>
>
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