Clare
CURRAN
Communications and IT Spokesperson
29 August 2013 MEDIA STATEMENT
Govt back down hailed by software industry
The Government’s back down on the Patents Bill yesterday will boost the prospects for a new digital economy, Labour’s
communications and IT spokesperson Clare Curran says.
After years of pressure from Labour and the software industry National was forced to compromise on the Patents Bill by
excluding software development from being able to be patented.
The outcome has been hailed across the IT sector and internationally as New Zealand forges new territory for software
development.
“This is a major win for the local software industry and should allow it to go from strength to strength,” says Clare
Curran.
“Patenting software would have stifled the local industry and favoured largely foreign companies by allowing them to use
monopoly rights over inventions inside New Zealand to discourage competition and innovation.
“I have been contacted by several overseas IT companies who say they will now transfer their business to New Zealand
because of the more favourable environment for software development. That is a great result for New Zealand.
“The ability to invent and innovate in the IT sector is more often than not based on lines of computer code, which like
music and words cannot be patented and should instead receive the protection of copyright.
“There is huge potential for our IT and software development industries. We need to back them and create a business
environment that will allow them to thrive and succeed,” says Clare Curran.
ENDS