Register Log in  Law & Disorder / Civilization & Discontents
White House: don’t blame us for software patents  The Obama
administration has responded to more than 14,000 people who
signed a …  The Obama administration has started an official
petition website called "We the People," in which Americans can
propose and vote on petitions for consideration by the White
House. Petitions that cross a popularity threshold (originally
5,000 signatures within 30 days) get an official response from
the White House.  This being the Internet, one of the first
petitions focused on software patents, asking President Obama to
"direct the patent office to cease issuing software patents and
to void all previously issued software patents." The White House
issued its official response on Tuesday. After touting the
recently passed America Invents Act, Obama technology advisor
Quentin Palfrey says the executive branch's hands are tied:
There's a lot we can do through the new law to improve patent
quality and to ensure that only