------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Jan 1994 08:13:19 +0200 (WET) From: ygoland@SEAS.UCLA.EDU Subject: File 6--Patent/Tradmark Office Call for Comment (fwd) Forwarded message: From--cdh@gnu.ai.mit.edu Subject-- PTO Call for Comment Date--Wed, 5 Jan 94 10:27:09 est CALL for LETTERS Since the formation of the League for Programming Freedom it has been our contention that patents should not be granted on software. Many people in the academic community and industry share this position. We are now being offered an opportunity to affect a change in the current patent system. The United States Patent Office is now admiting that there is something wrong with the way patents on software are currently implemented. They have issued the attached statement calling for statements to be made on software patents. The League for Programming Freedom plans on sending a representitive to testify in these hearings. We are also asking all concerned individuals to send their comments to the patent office. To make it easiest for people to do this the LPF has set up a mailbox for this purpose. To make comments please send email to lpf-pto-letters@prep.ai.mit.edu. This will send your message to the patent office and to the LPF so we can keep track of this activity. If you choose to send in your comments via US Mail we would appreciate it if you could CC a copy to the LPF so we can have it in our files. Since this is such an important opportunity I urge all of those concerned to take the time to send a letter to the Patent Office. This may be our last chance to change the system of software patents. Christian D. Hofstader President League for Programming Freedom (617) 492 0023 cdh@prep.ai.mit.edu The following is the request by the Patent and Trademark Office: DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Patent and Trademark Office Docket #: 931222-3322 Notice of Public Hearings and Request for Comments on Patent Protection for Software-Related Inventions AGENCY: Patent and Trademark Office, Department of Commerce ACTION: Notice of hearings and request for public comments SUMMARY: The Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) is interested in obtaining public input on issues associated with the patenting of software-related inventions. Interested members of the public are invited to testify at public hearings and to present written comments on any of the topics outlined in the supplementary information section of this notice. DATES: Public hearings will be held on January 26-27, 1994, at the San Jose Convention Center, 408 Almaden Avenue, San Jose, California, and on February 10-11, 1994, at the Crystal Forum in Arlington, Virginia. Those wishing to present oral testimony at any of the hearings must request an opportunity to do so no later than five days before the date of the hearing at which they wish to testify. Written comments on the topics presented in the supplementary information section of this notice should be received by the PTO on or before March 15, 1994. ADDRESSES: Those interested in presenting written comments on the topics presented in the supplementary information, or any other related topics, should address their comments to the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, marked to the attention of Jeff Kushan. Comments submitted by mail should be sent to Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, Box 4, Patent and Trademark Office, Washington, DC 20231. Comments may also be submitted by telefax at (703) 305-8885 and by electronic mail through the Internet to comments-software@uspto.gov. Written comments should include the following information: - name and affiliation of the individual responding; - an indication of whether comments offered represent views of the individual's organization or are the respondent's personal views; and - if applicable, the nature of the respondent's organization, including the size, type of organization (e.g., business, trade group, university, non-profit organization) and principal areas of business or software development activity. Parties offering testimony or written comments are asked to provide their comments in machine readable format in one of the following file formats: ASCII text, WordPerfect for DOS version 4.2 or 5.x, WordPerfect for Windows version 5.x, Word for Windows version 1.0 or 2.0, Word for DOS version 5.0, Word for Macintosh version 3.0, 4.0 or 5.x, or WordPerfect for Macintosh version 2.x. Persons wishing to testify must notify Jeff Kushan no later than five (5) days before the date of the hearing at which they wish to testify. Mr. Kushan can be reached by mail sent to his attention addressed to the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, Box 4, Washington, DC 20231; by phone at (703) 305-9300; or by telefax at (703) 305-8885. No requests for presenting oral testimony will be accepted through electronic mail. Written comments and transcripts of the hearings will be available for public inspection no later than March 30, 1994, in Room 902 of Crystal Park Two, 2121 Crystal Drive, Arlington, Virginia. In addition, transcripts of the hearings and comments provided in machine readable format will be available after March 16, 1994, through anonymous file transfer protocol (ftp) via the Internet (address: comments.uspto.gov), and will be available for Wide Area Information Server (WAIS) searching after March 30, 1994. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff Kushan by telephone at (703) 305-9300, by fax at (703) 305-8885, by electronic mail at kushan@uspto.gov, or by mail marked to his attention addressed to the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, Box 4, Washington, DC 20231. =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ + END THIS FILE + +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+===+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=