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Bill: Protection of Software Authors' Material Act (PSAMA)
Details
Submitted by[?]: Calvinist Conservative Party
Status[?]: defeated
Votes: This is an ordinary bill. It requires more yes votes than no votes. This bill will not pass any sooner than the deadline.
Voting deadline: December 2062
Description[?]:
| WHEREBY those who have written software code are currently Unprotected from Pirates and Thieves under the Tukurali Code, AND because theft is illegal in this fair land, LET IT HEREBY BE RESOLVED THAT Those who author Software Designs, Techniques, Formulae and Algorithms be permitted to obtain patents from the patent office on the material that is rightfully theirs. |
Proposals
Article 1
Proposal[?] to change The patenting of software techniques.
Old value:: Software designs, techniques, formulae and algorithms cannot be patented.
Current: Software patents can be obtained from the patent office.
Proposed: Software patents can be obtained from the patent office.
Debate
These messages have been posted to debate on this bill:
| Date | 04:30:36, May 31, 2005 CET | From | Calvinist Conservative Party | To | Debating the Protection of Software Authors' Material Act (PSAMA) |
| Message | Your thoughts, fellow Council-members? I will try to get this bill to a vote around April 2060. |
| Date | 04:38:36, May 31, 2005 CET | From | Patriot Party | To | Debating the Protection of Software Authors' Material Act (PSAMA) |
| Message | We'll support I believe. |
| Date | 12:23:04, May 31, 2005 CET | From | Social Dynamist Party | To | Debating the Protection of Software Authors' Material Act (PSAMA) |
| Message | Such laws threaten to stifle all but the largest software companies: patenting of simple devices which are nevertheless important in computing - right down to cursors and the fundamental algorithms used by computers - will mean that programmers must either avoid using effective solutions to problems - even if discovered independantly - and in order to use those pieces of code necessary for their programmes, they must pay unwarranted sums of money. Patenting is no more than a bribe to government to enforce a private monopoly on technologies. The speed at which software develops makes normal patents far more potent: most industries may need years to build factories and train staff before using patents: many software patents can be deployed professionally within weeks. |
| Date | 00:24:03, June 01, 2005 CET | From | Freedom Party | To | Debating the Protection of Software Authors' Material Act (PSAMA) |
| Message | We shall contemplate this. Start persuading. :) |
| Date | 03:07:49, June 01, 2005 CET | From | Calvinist Conservative Party | To | Debating the Protection of Software Authors' Material Act (PSAMA) |
| Message | "Such laws threaten to stifle all but the largest software companies: patenting of simple devices which are nevertheless important in computing - right down to cursors and the fundamental algorithms used by computers - will mean that programmers must either avoid using effective solutions to problems - even if discovered independantly - and in order to use those pieces of code necessary for their programmes, they must pay unwarranted sums of money. Patenting is no more than a bribe to government to enforce a private monopoly on technologies. The speed at which software develops makes normal patents far more potent: most industries may need years to build factories and train staff before using patents: many software patents can be deployed professionally within weeks." Why should people who make something not get adequate monetary compensation for it? Why must we allow anyone to steal something others have made? If one cannot profit off of something they make, they won't make it. |
| Date | 11:26:49, June 01, 2005 CET | From | Social Dynamist Party | To | Debating the Protection of Software Authors' Material Act (PSAMA) |
| Message | Code is still copyrighted - meaning if someone steals your work they're still liable. However, if someone comes up with similar code independently, they too can get adequate monetary compensation for their own work - unless this bill goes ahead, in which only those who can afford the patents and only those who get to the patent office first can benefit - and any further development cannot occur without payment to the person who happens to get to the patent office. This means that many programmers will be priced out of the development market. Large companies will take over and a culture of stagnation for profit will ensue. |
| Date | 14:22:43, June 01, 2005 CET | From | Democratic Socialist Party | To | Debating the Protection of Software Authors' Material Act (PSAMA) |
| Message | Only one patent in 14 is ever comercially exploited, which means that research is blocked in all other 13 areas. Patenting hinders progress. |
| Date | 18:27:05, June 01, 2005 CET | From | Democratic Socialist Party | To | Debating the Protection of Software Authors' Material Act (PSAMA) |
| Message | *commercially Damn! Typos are infectious! |
| Date | 03:16:40, June 02, 2005 CET | From | Calvinist Conservative Party | To | Debating the Protection of Software Authors' Material Act (PSAMA) |
| Message | "Only one patent in 14 is ever comercially exploited, which means that research is blocked in all other 13 areas. Patenting hinders progress." Patents can be purchased, or licensed. |
| Date | 03:17:23, June 02, 2005 CET | From | Calvinist Conservative Party | To | Debating the Protection of Software Authors' Material Act (PSAMA) |
| Message | one more day of debate then moved to vote |
| Date | 03:31:16, June 02, 2005 CET | From | Social Dynamist Party | To | Debating the Protection of Software Authors' Material Act (PSAMA) |
| Message | "Patents can be purchased, or licensed." Only with the permission of the owner. This means that anyone coming up with the same method independently, or coming up with a method based on the patented technology can only profit from their work if the first person agrees. At best, the patent holder could charge an exorbitant sum, and we have legal extortion. But of course measures like this could quite easily drive amateur and poorer programmers to reverse-engineer and steal code to avoid the expense, seeing as it would be pointless to develop their own. |
| Date | 04:11:35, June 02, 2005 CET | From | Patriot Party | To | Debating the Protection of Software Authors' Material Act (PSAMA) |
| Message | We must withdraw our support. |
| Date | 18:28:46, June 02, 2005 CET | From | Rightist Party | To | Debating the Protection of Software Authors' Material Act (PSAMA) |
| Message | THis is very interesting. We will consider it. |
| Date | 03:05:29, June 04, 2005 CET | From | Calvinist Conservative Party | To | Debating the Protection of Software Authors' Material Act (PSAMA) |
| Message | "We must withdraw our support." For whatever reason? Do not the Patriots defend the rights of private property? Well, this is already way overdue...so here goes |
| Date | 11:08:36, June 04, 2005 CET | From | Social Dynamist Party | To | Debating the Protection of Software Authors' Material Act (PSAMA) |
| Message | We thank the PP for their change of heart, and hope that this was due to the understanding brought up by debate. |
| Date | 18:14:09, June 04, 2005 CET | From | Patriot Party | To | Debating the Protection of Software Authors' Material Act (PSAMA) |
| Message | SDP, you are welcome. It was partly due to understanding some of what was discussed. |
| Date | 23:49:22, June 04, 2005 CET | From | Patriot Party | To | Debating the Protection of Software Authors' Material Act (PSAMA) |
| Message | This bill has been officially rejected by the Tribal Council. |
| Date | 02:10:11, June 05, 2005 CET | From | Calvinist Conservative Party | To | Debating the Protection of Software Authors' Material Act (PSAMA) |
| Message | Argh! I'm never going to get a bill passed! |
| Date | 03:40:17, June 05, 2005 CET | From | Patriot Party | To | Debating the Protection of Software Authors' Material Act (PSAMA) |
| Message | You will one day. |
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Voting
| Vote | Seats | ||||
| yes | Total Seats: 29 | ||||
| no |
Total Seats: 157 | ||||
| abstain |
Total Seats: 95 |
| Random fact: Whilst the use of non-English languages can be appropriate for nation names, party names, constitutional titles and other variables, English is the official language of communication in the game. All descriptive texts and public communications should be in English or at least appear alongside a full English translation. |
| Random quote: "Whatever crushes individuality is despotism, by whatever name it may be called and whether it professes to be enforcing the will of God or the injunctions of men." - John Stuart Mill |