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from the fighting-against-the-tide-is-tiring dept.
TechDirt reports
[...] The past few USPTO directors had been cut from the "more patents is always a good thing" mold, whereas Lee actually recognized that bad patents harmed innovation. And even though the last time the Patent Office got concerned about bad patents it allowed the patent approval backlog to fill up, under Lee the backlog has reached its lowest point in a decade.[paywall]
[...] For all the craziness going on in the government right now, having competent leadership at the USPTO would be one less thing to worry about. But... now it's being reported that Lee has suddenly resigned and sent a goodbye email to staff. That's bad news on the patent front.
Of course, it may be ages before any new director is appointed. As I type this, of the 559 key positions requiring Senate confirmation, Trump hasn't even named a nominee for 431 of them. [...] Adding the new USPTO director to that pile may mean no new USPTO director for.... who the hell knows how long.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by idiot_king on Wednesday June 07 2017, @04:08PM (5 children)
I'm surprised that anyone here would bemoan the loss of the gatekeeper of ideas especially considering the entrenched view of patents and copyright amongst open sourcies, or at the very least, *nix users.
I can sense a slight amount of cognitive dissonance about this especially considering the mention of Blumpf's astounding lack of attention to his own appointment requirements. Anyone who dislikes government should be cheering at this point that the Orange Menace is failing his duties.
If Satan hands out free food to the homeless, will they still be hungry? No. Same logic applies here. If der Trumpenfurher neglects his duties, that's all the more reason to cheer him on in this case. Remember: don't interrupt your enemy when they're making a mistake.
(Score: 3, Touché) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday June 07 2017, @05:07PM
Remember: don't interrupt your enemy when they're making a mistake.
The only problem with this plan is that we all get to pay the price for his mistakes.
(Score: 2) by urza9814 on Wednesday June 07 2017, @05:34PM (3 children)
I think the concern is more about who will replace her, not merely that she's gone. And even if she's not replaced immediately, the USPTO isn't going to cease to function, someone else will take up the role. Considering that she approved far fewer patents than her predecessors, it's quite likely that her resignation will result in more patents being granted. So if you don't like patents, she was...if not an ally, then the closest thing we've had to one in that department in a hell of a long time. Also keep in mind that open source isn't necessarily opposed to patents/copyright entirely. That's one of the major distinctions between Open Source and Free Software, Open Source cannot exist without copyright. That's the only way to have and enforce a license like the GPL.
Of these 431 missing appointments, how many are causing departments to actually shut down? And how many are just sowing general chaos, making the problems of government even worse? I'll cheer if he's ever held accountable for this mess, or if I see some concrete good come of it, but I certainly won't cheer the mess itself.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday June 07 2017, @06:37PM
"or if I see some concrete good come of it"
Well, on the bright side, there are a lot of six and seven digit salaries that the government is not paying out.
We might ponder the benefits of hamstringing government agencies. Agencies always try to grow. They push self aggrandizing statements and reports, making it look like they've accomplished a lot, while asking for more money, expanded authority, and additional missions. Well - make them go without some of that senior leadership, and maybe they'll focus more on their existing missions. The fat cat in the big office won't be in the office, with little to do. Well, little to do aside from lobbying his superiors for more money, more authority, more, more, more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV-rhtet4Ow [youtube.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 07 2017, @08:42PM (1 child)
Both "Open Source" and Free Software could exist without copyright; all you have to do is release the source code to the software and it would qualify. You're thinking of copyleft, which is related but different. So I'm not sure what you mean, but I'm pretty sure you don't need a copyleft license to have Open Source software.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Thursday June 08 2017, @12:31AM
Open Source Initiative.
Eric Raymond tried to trademark "open source" but was denied by the USPTO.
Public domain is not OSI Approved.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]