BPTO’s new software registration system under public consultation

The BPTO opened a public consultation regarding their new online system of software registration. Interested parties must give their opinions by Feb. 03 2017.

For further information, see http://www.inpi.gov.br/noticias/inpi-abre-consulta-publica-sobre-sistema-de-registro-de-software/view (in portuguese).

Dump innovation patents and apply safe harbour to all online services: Productivity Commission

In its report on Australia’s intellectual property arrangements, the Productivity Commission has said innovation patents should be dumped.

Read more at: http://www.zdnet.com/article/d

When a Patent-Happy Industry Meets Open-Source Technology

When the financial services industry started paying attention to blockchain technology, many companies, seemingly as a reflex, sought patent protection for their ideas.

It was ironic, since the original bitcoin blockchain was a breakthrough of open-source development, in which software code is made freely available for anyone to use or modify. As the industry has gained a clearer understanding of how distributed-ledger technology could change its business, it’s begun to see the merits of such openness in supporting collaborative innovation, and the limitations of the traditional, you-can’t-touch-this approach.

Read more at: http://www.americanbanker.com/news/ban