Which is exactly why if you're in favor of software patents you should at least be in favor of a shortening of the duration. 20 years is an eternity for software.
I am in favor of software patents and I am in favor of shortening the duration. (In this context we somehow have to reform USPTO so that they can get a patent out in less than 3-5 years! remember this time comes off the term of the patent) :)
remember this time comes off the term of the patent) :)
Not at the moment, no. As I understand it, patents in the US are judged from the time of approval, not the time of filing, so the length of the approval process doesn't affect the amount of time a patent is in effect.
This makes sense. Otherwise, a competitor could tie any disagreeable patent up in litigation, ensuring that the patent would be in effect for only a very short period of time.
