Often people are using misconceptions about some aspects of patenting. In this report, I would like to analyze facts about patents and to reveal some common misconceptions. In addition, I have noticed that some programmers are thinking that patents are harmful or useless. The situation with software patents is one of the most controversial parts of patenting. In the report, I will analyze how the patenting system can influence on open source and other software companies. I will also analyze the negative factors of patenting for open source companies, and the positive results of patenting for open source contributors. I hope this informational overview will be useful for better understanding some important aspects of the patenting and the situation with patenting in open source.

Marina Kudinova

Patent specialist, Virtuozzo