Regardless of what you know about patents or the free software movement and whether you approve them or not, “Patent Absurdity” is a documentary you should definitely watch. Not because you will become an expert on the field but because, if you are like me, you read about all these legal fights between Apple, Microsoft, Google, and so forth and you wonder whether you or your company are likely to be sued for one of your software projects because of a “hidden patent” somewhere inside your source code.
The film is also available for download (free of charge) in various formats and qualities. In addition there is a section with subtitles in various languages.
Finally “Patent Absurdity, how software patents broke the system” makes special reference to Ben Klemens’es “Math You Can’t Use: Patents, Copyright, and Software”and James Bessen’s “Patent Failure: How Judges, Bureaucrats, and Lawyers Put Innovators at Risk”.
PS: I adore the part where Richard Stallman explains why Beethoven couldn’t compose productively nowadays. What’s your favourite part? Let me know by leaving a comment!