--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think software patents are a bad idea…" description: "\"I think software patents are a bad idea. Many patents are given for trivial inventions.\" — Larry Wall" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c43/larry-wall-1576_bad-idea_i-think-software-patents-are-a-bad-idea_2392540.png" --- # I think software patents are a bad idea. Many patents are… ![“I think software patents are a bad idea. Many patents are given for trivial inventions.” quote by Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c43/larry-wall-1576_bad-idea_i-think-software-patents-are-a-bad-idea_2392540.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c43/larry-wall-1576_bad-idea_i-think-software-patents-are-a-bad-idea_2392540.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c43/larry-wall-1576_bad-idea_i-think-software-patents-are-a-bad-idea_2392540.png) > “I think software patents are a bad idea. Many patents are given for trivial inventions.” [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Software patents often protect trivial ideas, stifling innovation and competition. **In simple terms:** Patents can block simple innovations. Key Takeaway Advocate for patent reform. Themes innovation law competition Mood critical skeptical Type policy legal When to use this quote - startup development - software engineering - legal reform - R&D investment Key Concepts intellectual property triviality innovation policy Questions to Reflect On - How can we differentiate trivial from valuable patents? - What alternatives exist to protect genuine innovation? A Different Perspective Patents can also protect genuine breakthroughs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-idea/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Idea Patents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-patents-5964788/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) [Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention/) [Patents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patents/) [Patents Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patents-bad-5964787/) [Patents Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patents-given-5964789/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Software](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/software/) [Software Patents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/software-patents-3503530/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I named my software 'EMAIL,' (a term never used before in the English language), and I even received the first U.S. Copyright for that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiva-ayyadurai/i-named-my-software-email-a-term-never-used-before-in-the-english/) [Shiva Ayyadurai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiva-ayyadurai/) > [Software patents are dangerous to software developers because they impose monopolies on software ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/software-patents-are-dangerous-to-software-developers-because-they/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [With the rise of software patents, engineers coding new stuff - whether within a large software company or as kids writing smartphone apps -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-zittrain/with-the-rise-of-software-patents-engineers-coding-new-stuff-whether/) [Jonathan Zittrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-zittrain/) > [The software patent problem is not limited to Mono. Software patents affect everyone writing software today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-icaza/the-software-patent-problem-is-not-limited-to-mono-software-patents/) [Miguel de Icaza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-icaza/) > [Patents? Disappointed? Don't think of it that way. Software patents weren't feasible then so we chose not to risk $10,000.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-frankston/patents-disappointed-don-t-think-of-it-that-way-software-patents/) [Bob Frankston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-frankston/) > [Software patents, in particular, are very ripe for abuse. The whole system encourages big corporations getting thousands and thousands of patents. Individuals almost never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-torvalds/software-patents-in-particular-are-very-ripe-for-abuse-the-whole/) [Linus Torvalds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-torvalds/) > [If you're a large corporation, you can afford to pay the money to register patents, but if you're an individual like me, you can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/if-you-re-a-large-corporation-you-can-afford-to-pay-the-money-to/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [We hear, "Oh, we need to patent GMOs and develop new strains and new chemicals because Nature can't provide what we need." I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/we-hear-oh-we-need-to-patent-gmos-and-develop-new-strains-and-new/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [An industry begins with the customer and his or her needs, not with a patent, a raw material, or a selling skill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-levitt/an-industry-begins-with-the-customer-and-his-or-her-needs-not-with-a/) [Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/) > [There are certain zip codes that generate a disproportionate share of patents, of startups, of wealth, of jobs. And it's really important if other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-enriquez/there-are-certain-zip-codes-that-generate-a-disproportionate-share-of/) [Juan Enriquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-enriquez/) > [... semantics ... is a sober and modest discipline which has no pretensions of being a universal patent-medicine for all the ills and diseases…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-tarski/semantics-is-a-sober-and-modest-discipline-which-has-no-pretensions/) [Alfred Tarski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-tarski/) > [The idea that I can be presented with a problem, set out to logically solve it with the tools at hand, and wind up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carmack/the-idea-that-i-can-be-presented-with-a-problem-set-out-to-logically/) [John Carmack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carmack/) > [There is a patent office at the seat of government of the universe, whose managers are as much interested in the dispersion of seeds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/there-is-a-patent-office-at-the-seat-of-government-of-the-universe/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The "health, education, and welfare" section of government is another boondoggle. First we manufacture indigent and superfluous people by legal monopolies in land, money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurance-labadie/the-health-education-and-welfare-section-of-government-is-another/) [Laurance Labadie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurance-labadie/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) ## More by Larry Wall > [Not that I have anything much against redundancy. But I said that already.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/not-that-i-have-anything-much-against-redundancy-but-i-said-that/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [Perhaps you should compile your Perl with long doubles one of these megaseconds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/perhaps-you-should-compile-your-perl-with-long-doubles-one-of-these/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [Take Lisp, you know its the most beautiful language in the world -- at least up until Haskell came along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/take-lisp-you-know-its-the-most-beautiful-language-in-the-world-at/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [I'm reminded of the day my daughter came in, looked over my shoulder at some Perl 4 code, and said, 'What is that, swearing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/i-m-reminded-of-the-day-my-daughter-came-in-looked-over-my-shoulder/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [Yes, but I did manage to increase the amount of virginity in the world by that method.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/yes-but-i-did-manage-to-increase-the-amount-of-virginity-in-the-world/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [I won't mention any names, because I don't want to get sun4's into trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/i-won-t-mention-any-names-because-i-don-t-want-to-get-sun4-s-into/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [And besides, if Perl really takes off in the Windows space, I think the rest of us would just as soon have a double-agent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/and-besides-if-perl-really-takes-off-in-the-windows-space-i-think-the/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [In general, they do what you want, unless you want consistency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/in-general-they-do-what-you-want-unless-you-want-consistency/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [I suppose you could switch grammars once you've seen 'use strict subs'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/i-suppose-you-could-switch-grammars-once-you-ve-seen-use-strict-subs/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [While I have historically been a late worker, you know, sometimes I even like to get up early and see what's happened in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/while-i-have-historically-been-a-late-worker-you-know-sometimes-i/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [All language designers are arrogant. Goes with the territory...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/all-language-designers-are-arrogant-goes-with-the-territory/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [Perl has a long tradition of working around compilers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/perl-has-a-long-tradition-of-working-around-compilers/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [Part of language design is perturbing the proposed feature in various directions to see how it might generalize in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/part-of-language-design-is-perturbing-the-proposed-feature-in-various/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [We can debug relationships, but it's always good policy to consider the people themselves to be features. 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They produce middle-ground mush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-devos/government-likes-committees-a-lot-committees-kill-all-the-really-good/) [Betsy DeVos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-devos/) > [It's not a bad idea to call this Cthulhuism & Yog-Sothothery of mine "The Mythology of Hastur" - although it was really from Machen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/it-s-not-a-bad-idea-to-call-this-cthulhuism-yog-sothothery-of-mine/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [More than any other personality trait, my mother seemed to be ruled by anger and sadness. She seemed to hate being a mother. Watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/more-than-any-other-personality-trait-my-mother-seemed-to-be-ruled-by/) [Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/) > [“Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to inflict my rantings on you, even though we are destined to spend the rest of our lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/sorry-he-apologized-i-didn-t-mean-to-inflict-my-rantings-on-you-even/) [connie willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [“Jesus. Chicago, Kansas City, Denver, Phoenix, L.A., and Seattle, plus two small towns she'd never heard of in the Gulf Coast region. 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