Perhaps this is where part of the problem is – a lot of free software people see patents as acting to limit their freedoms. Some would even go so far as to say it limits their freedom of expression, or their free speech, depending on how far you go.
[/quote:8d44864b57]This is a very good point vs the Biotech etc argument. A lot of people make software as a hobby, yes even now they still do, no one does Biotech as a hobby. Some see it as a labour of love and have day jobs that don’t involve IT, but make software in their free time, a lot of good engineers started this way. What will happen to them, to the communities such as the demoscene, who do use software as a form of art and expession of ideas, are you going to restrict them too? This is why software is different and this is what many people are worried about, their freedom of expression being restricted. This is the most persuasive thing for me support the status quo. Not everyone is in it for the money and you have to expect a very hostile reception if you start slamming lawsuits on people making demos, school projects or free software in their own time. You have said software patents are a business tool, by that defintion they can only be used in a commercial context. Someone who is not profiting or earning a livng from the software they write should not be liable for licence fees.
Note: Please take the meaning of “free software” in this post not as “Open Source”, but software that is free of charge.