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ARTICLE · 17 JUNE 2021

Open Source And Patents: Share Your Cake And Eat It Too

J A Kemp
J A Kemp
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J A Kemp

J A Kemp

J A Kemp is one of the largest European patent and trade mark attorney firms, with offices in...

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The open-source movement has been around for decades and has provided freedom to users and programmers to use and develop existing software.

United KingdomIntellectual Property
Joseph Simon-Brown
Joseph Simon-Brown
Clive So
Clive So
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The open-source movement has been around for decades and has provided freedom to users and programmers to use and develop existing software. Unlike industries involving physical products, the low barrier of entry to software development and distribution has meant that many users find themselves having the knowledge and resources to contribute to software development, but at times prevented from doing so due to existing intellectual property (IP) rights. This has led some to view IP rights, such as patents, as a hindrance to innovation.
However, this need not be the case, and there are very good reasons why, as an open source contributor, you should consider obtaining patent protection.

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