Software Patents Research Report Launched

FOSS United had sponsored a report on software patents that was conducted by Software Freedom Law Center’s India Chapter (www.sflc.in). The report gives a very good historical overview of the software patents issue in India, and finds that the number of patents being granted by the Indian Patents Office (IPO) has gone up in recent times. Section 3(k) of the Indian Patent Act says that, " a mathematical or business method or a computer programme per se or algorithms," are not patentable subject matter. However, the study finds that most software patents are being granted to MNCs. At the same time, the number of Indian companies getting patents has also been increasing.

The global FOSS community is opposed to software patents and this study gives us a good understanding of the current status of software patenting in India. The report can be downloaded from https://sflc.in/software-patents-in-india-law-and-practice/

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