The following are some links for finding out more about software patents and how they affect you. If you have any interest in protecting your right to write / use software (including music, pictures and words) you owe it to yourself at least to visit these pages. If you know anyone involved in the software industry, make sure they visit these web sites too.

• The British Patent Office
  This is an excellent and up to date web site that provides almost all you need to know about copyrights and patents. Check out the Patent FAQ for some really useful information.

• [email protected] - mailing list
  This is an excellent mailing list / discussion group which explores the economic and social implications of software patents, which unlike some newsgroups, tends to stick to the plot !

• Gnu Software
  Gnu Software are the original 'free' software company (as in free speach, not free beer), without whom the dangers of software patents would have gone largely unnoticed by the programming community as a whole.

• The European Patent Office
  This is the place for European wide information on patents, including information on various documents and conventions:
  The European Patent Convention
  Article 52 - Patentable inventions.

• Freepatents.Org - Protecting competition against the abuse of software patents.
  Information regarding software patents in Europe.

• The World Trade Organisation
  This is the organisation who are responsible for the TRIPS agreement as well as a number of other international treaties.

• Oracles (Old) Patent Policy
  Since this statement was made, Oracle has now started to patent its software. This may be purely a defensive move against potential legal infringement - I dont really know. However, the statement has something important to say about software patents and it is well worth reading.