Hmm, How long before the Amazon one-click patent is used here. Software Patents benefit precisely one group of people: Lawyers. Even in the U.S. where this madness started, there is a growing realisation that Software Patents harm innovation, (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3722509.stm).

David, Hampshire, UK

Why doesn't someone ask software developers if they want software patents? You'll struggle to find a single developer in favour of them. Instead you will see lawyers quoted on this issue, and lawyers are the only profession with any opportunity to benefit from software patents.

Philip, London,

"If Symbian made engines for cars and ..."

I hold the patent on car anologies. My lawyers will be intouch!

This is the level of foolishness which you will increasingly see.

A state-transition within my brain is property of someone else.

God bless lawyers and their universal wisdom.

Lee, Manchester,

Patents were devised at a time when innovation was depressed because inventors knew that their efforts would be stolen. Lack of innovation is not a problem in software and thus protection is not needed. Indeed the current free exchange and reuse of ideas is part of the reason why. This ruling will stifle software innovation as corporations use patents to stifle competition.

Alain D D Williams, Watford, uk

It's simply a ruse for lawyers to make more money and for the big boys of software to bully any small company (re: IBM & Sun in their early days). The money being wasted in the US over software patents tells it all.

I'm surprised at the ignorance of the Appeal Court after the arguments in the EU!

Dictatot of Europe, London, UK

If the open market be a football game, software patents are the equivalent of buying a formation, so that no other team can use it. The team with the most money with eventually buy all the formations, then nobody will be able to play. Any new formation will be quickly hauled into court by FatCat Utd

Ian, Wantage, UK

SW is, by definition, mere formal expression of prior art from other disciplines; it is not innovation. SW patents are used to establish monopoly through threat of litigation, as challenging even manifestly invalid patents is prohibitively expensive -- SW patents stifle innovation, not enable it.

Thomas, Glasgow, Scotland

We had excellent protection on software with trade secrets, instant worldwide and very effective (as Microsoft's endless anti-trust 'disclosure' lawsuits show). So we give up worldwide excellent protection for a UK only patent and have to give away our trade secrets? What a disaster.

R S, Brussels,

Devestave, cars aren't software. Given a physical device, I can build an exact replica -- thus, patents protect the novel implementation of a device. Given software *idea*, I *CAN NOT* build an exact replica -- I will need to invest extensive time and money in developing an implementation.

Rupert P. Fillywick, San Francisco, USA

The difference is between *implementation* and *ideas*. A physical patent covers a novel implementation. A software patent covers a novel *idea*. It's very easy to create ideas, but it's very hard to create a novel, working implementation.

Rupert P. Fillywick, San Francisco, USA

Software patents are too easy to abuse. Almost all of are them either -
1. About obvious features - i.e., Amazon's patent on one-click shopping;
2. Involve very minor improvement of concepts known already for years.
Thanks to the court, true innovators are now under the menace of wild lawsuits.

MC, Jerusalem, Israel

Software patents deny computer users the freedom to design free software which benefit all of humanity. They are a bad idea.

Any piece of complex software uses thousands of different ideas. Allowing software patents creates a minefield for anyone who wants to write even the simplest program.

Øyvind Sæther, kristinehamn, Sweden

If Symbian made engines for cars and developed one that used less fuel and provided more power would you deny them a patent for that plh? Why should the software industry be unique in not being allowed to protect innovations that make computers run faster and consume less power?

devestave, Leamington, UK

Symbian has been given the right to steal the work of others by this appalling patent. Software patentability doesn't “safeguard” one's innovations - it puts them under the threat of a legion of third-party patents. The CoA's decision may be legally sound but it is immoral and it is economic folly.

plh, Aberystwyth, Cymru