New Zealand prohibits software patenting

The New Zealand Parliament is preparing to vote on a bill that will tighten the criteria for patent registration. One of the most significant changes proposed by the bill is the prohibition of patenting ordinary software.

The bill was prepared by Select Commerce Committee, which decided to include this ban after considering the opinions of representatives of the software industry. The official summary of the bill recognizes that software patents adversely affect the open source software development model.

The Commerce Committee also states that the ban will not affect the patenting of hardware using embedded software. The development of specific rules defining the criteria for patenting will be handled by the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand.
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via OpenNet via Ars Technica via Computerworld New Zealand via New Zealand Legislation