a fulltime professional software developper working in the field of embedded software demands that the software exclusion from patentability be maintained, meaning that not the software as such but only independent technical devices or process into which the software is embedded can be patented. If this separation is given up like in the US, work will become very difficult and even the companies that work in the technical field will be adversely affected due to legal incertainty. Small companies will find it hard to raise funds even if they have patents, because investors don't want to share the risk of incurring unforseeable patent trouble.

author: Niels K Jensen Date of Submission: 2000-12-14 files: jensen.pdf and local copy