Trade Secrets, Dongles, and Patents: A History of Software Protection

Speaker: Martin Campbell-Kelly

8th October 2003 , 3.00pm , Room 519 Claremont Tower

Abstract

The European Parliament will shortly be voting on whether or not to allow software patents in Europe. Since software patents were officially permitted in the United States in 1982 tens of thousands have been granted. Software patents are deeply controversial: in particular it is argued that patent “thickets” threaten the existence of the software industry and the open source movement.

This seminar traces the evolution of software protection, from trade secrets in the 1960s, through copyright protection in the 1970s, to software patents in the 1980s. The perceived threats to the future of software construction are set in the historical context of information technology patents over the last 100 years.