Group Attacks Bad Software Patents Before They're Approved 82
Curupira writes "Ars Technica discusses how the Linux Defenders group are exercising the rights granted by the America Invents Act to identify and fight the patents that potentially threaten Linux and open source software. From the article: 'In a session at LinuxCon today, Linux Defenders director Andrea Casillas explained how the group is using rights granted by the new law to fight patent applications. A project of the Open Invention Network, Software Freedom Law Center, and Linux Foundation, Linux Defenders examines the 6,000 new patent applications published each week, attempting to identify those that are potentially threatening to Linux and open source. Then, the group looks for prior art that would invalidate at least some of the claims in the patents.'"
when you show the patent examiner what part, how, (Score:4, Informative)
Sure, when you show the patent examiner what part of the Linux OS (or just kernel if you prefer) previously did that thing in the patent, how, and when. It sounds like that's the type of thing these people are doing.