Both those who believe patents are crucial to the industry and those who believe patents will cause irreparable harm [are] claiming that the unique nature of software requires sweeping changes in U.S. intellectual property laws … The problem isn’t the much-maligned patent office, it’s people’s egos.
Predictor: Steinberg, Steve G.
Prediction, in context:In a 1994 article listing tech items and issues that are currently being hyped, Steve Steinberg of Wired magazine writes: ”People in the computer industry like to think that what they do is unique and historically unprecedented. This largely mistaken belief is the cause for much of the current shrill debate on software patents, with both those who believe patents are crucial to the industry and those who believe patents will cause irreparable harm claiming that the unique nature of software requires sweeping changes in U.S. intellectual property laws. The boring truth is that similar problems have arisen (such as industrial design patents and music copyrights) and have been solved within the existing framework. The problem isn’t the much-maligned patent office, it’s people’s egos.”
Date of prediction: January 1, 1994
Topic of prediction: Information Infrastructure
Subtopic: Language/Interface/Software
Name of publication: Wired
Title, headline, chapter name: Hype List: Intellectual Property
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.05/hypelist.html
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney