Legal regulation of the software "patentable subject matter" requirement in the US and in Europe: The need for certainty, predictability and uniformity

This thesis critically investigates the divergent international approaches to the legal regulation of the patentability of computer software inventions, with a view to identifying the reforms necessary for a certain, predictable and uniform inter-jurisdictional system of protection. Through a critical analysis of the traditional and contemporary US and European regulatory frameworks of protection for computer software inventions, this thesis demonstrates the confusion and legal uncertainty resulting from ill-defined patent laws and inconsistent patent practices as to the scope of the “patentable subject matter” requirement, further compounded by substantial flaws in the structural configuration of the decision-making procedures within which the patent systems operate. This damaging combination prevents the operation of an accessible and effective Intellectual Property (IP) legal framework of protection for computer software inventions, capable of securing adequate economic returns for inventors whilst preserving the necessary scope for innovation and competition in the field, to the ultimate benefit of society. In exploring the substantive and structural deficiencies in the European and US regulatory frameworks, this thesis develops to ultimately highlight that the best approach to the reform of the legal regulation of software patentability is two-tiered. It demonstrates that any reform to achieve international legal harmony first requires the legislature to individually clarify (Europe) or restate (US) the long-standing inadequate rules governing the scope of software “patentable subject matter”, together with the reorganisation of the unworkable structural configuration of the decision-making procedures. Informed by the critical analysis of the evolution of the “patentable subject matter” requirement for computer software in the US, this thesis particularly considers the potential of the reforms of the European patent system currently underway, to bring about certainty, predictability and uniformity in the legal treatment of computer software inventions.

Supporting interoperability frameworks in the UK public sector

This paper describes the design and implementation of a component based software application, which alleviates the problem of software interoperability in the UK public sector. We analyze the current interoperability frameworks across the United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU) and propose a software solution that enhances such interoperability initiatives. Our example scenario is placed within a UK local authority, which shares data stored within the Police databases, for making efficient and more accurate operational decisions. The prototype, implemented as a J2EE application and built upon existing databases, proves our concept that it is possible to achieve data and application interoperability without integrating data sources and without using XML formats for data sharing.

Frameworks Verticas vs Horizontais Gestão de Recursos Humanos com o OFBiz

Os sistemas de informação integrados contribuem para a gestão eficiente das empresas, seja na organização e funcionamento internos ou nas relações externas. O mercado deste software é dominado pelas empresas que criam e distribuem sistemas proprietários. Existe uma alternativa, software livre, que disponibiliza aplicações em código aberto e maioritariamente de licença gratuita, que pode ser adaptado às necessidades das empresas. O objetivo do presente trabalho é avaliar a viabilidade de plataformas livres, de natureza vertical – OFBiz – e horizontal – Spring – como opção na escolha de um sistema de informação nas Pequenas e Médias Empresas portuguesas. Das áreas de negócio principais das organizações, foi selecionada a área de Recursos Humanos para efeitos de adaptação na aplicação OFBiz, com incidência em dois casos de uso: uma opção essencial, mas que atualmente não está prevista – Processamento de vencimentos – e outra já existente e que é avaliada em termos de necessidades de adaptação – Recrutamento. Sendo o idioma um requisito indispensável à internacionalização da aplicação, foi também analisada a sua implementação. A metodologia de investigação utilizada foi o Design Science Research, tendo sido implementado um protótipo para efeitos de teste e avaliação do projeto, com a elaboração de dois modelos: configuração e desenvolvimento. Implementado o protótipo, verificou-se que a framework vertical apresenta-se como uma alternativa mais viável do que a horizontal, pelas funcionalidades já existentes e que facilitam a adequação às necessidades de informação das Pequenas e Médias Empresas. A sua base tecnológica e de estrutura permite que a aplicação possa ser adaptada por técnicos especialistas das próprias empresas.

Panorama actual del ecosistema de software libre para SIG

Los proyectos y productos comúnmente llamados Free and Open Source Software1 relacionados con la geomática están experimentando una evolución y actualización vertiginosa. A los “tradicionales” proyectos de servicios de mapas, bases de datos espaciales o clientes pesados, se les están uniendo un amplio conjunto de componentes como servicios de publicación, clientes ligeros, servicios de geoprocesamiento, movilidad, frameworks, …o nuevos estándares como GeoRSS, WMS Tiled, WPS,… Este artículo pretende efectuar una breve pausa para analizar el panorama actual del mundo del software libre, categorizando los proyectos y productos existentes en la actualidad, para valorar cada uno de ellos, analizando su situación actual, su trayectoria, su evolución futura y las interrelaciones existentes en el ecosistema de software libre SIG. Se analizará la situación y el catálogo disponible de proyectos/productos de servidores de datos espaciales, servidores OGC , publicación/clientes de mapas ligeros, aplicaciones de escritorio, clientes IDE, bibliotecas de desarrollo, herramientas de catálogo cliente y servidor, etc.. Se mostrará el ecosistema de proyectos, organizaciones y personas que colaboran con los principales productos, con sus interrelaciones entre sí, y los planes de futuro conocidos. El resultado esperado es mostrar al lector una imagen general (“big-picture”) que le permita posicionar sus necesidades con criterio dentro del panorama actual de las soluciones SIG basadas en software libre

Panorama actual del ecosistema de software libre para SIG

Los proyectos y productos comúnmente llamados Free and Open Source Software relacionados con la geomática están experimentando una evolución y actualización vertiginosa. A los "tradicionales" proyectos de servicios de mapas, bases de datos espaciales o clientes pesados, se les están uniendo un amplio conjunto de componentes como servicios de publicación, clientes ligeros, servicios de geoprocesamiento, movilidad, frameworks, ... o nuevos estándares como GeoRSs, WMS Tiled, WPS, ... (...)

A survey of approaches and frameworks to carry out genomic data analysis on the cloud

High Performance Computing (HPC) clouds have started to change the way how research in science, in particular medicine and genomics (bioinformatics) is being carried out. Researchers who have taken advantage of this technology can process larger amounts of data and speed up scientific discovery. However, most HPC clouds are provided at an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) level, users are presented with a set of virtual servers which need to be put together to form HPC environments via time consuming resource management and software configuration tasks, which make them practically unusable by discipline, non-computing specialists. In response, there is a new trend to expose cloud applications as services to simplify access and execution on clouds. This paper firstly examines commonly used cloud-based genomic analysis services (Tuxedo Suite, Galaxy and Cloud Bio Linux). As a follow up, we propose two new solutions (HPCaaS and Uncinus), which aim to automate aspects of the service development and deployment process. By comparing and contrasting these five solutions, we identify key mechanisms of service creation, execution and access that are required to support genomic research on the SaaS cloud, in particular by discipline specialists. © 2014 IEEE.

Selected approaches and frameworks to carry out genomic data provision and analysis on the cloud

While High Performance Computing clouds allow researchers to process large amounts of genomic data, complex resource and software configuration tasks must be carried out beforehand. The current trend exposes applications and data as services, simplifying access to clouds. This paper examines commonly used cloud-based genomic analysis services, introduces the approach of exposing data as services and proposes two new solutions (HPCaaS and Uncinus) which aim to automate service development, deployment process and data provision. By comparing and contrasting these solutions, we identify key mechanisms of service creation, execution and data access required to support non-computing specialists employing clouds.

FrameworkDoc : ferramenta de documentação e geração de artefatos de software

Atualmente, um dos grandes desafios para qualquer desenvolvedor de software é projetar um sistema que reutilize ao máximo elementos de código e de projeto existentes, visando diminuir o tempo e o esforço exigidos na produção do software. Entre as inúmeras formas de possibilitar reuso no contexto do desenvolvimento segundo o paradigma da orientação a objetos, destaca-se a abordagem de frameworks. A grande importância da documentação de software utilizada no processo de desenvolvimento aliada às características de frameworks serviram como motivação para este trabalho. A documentação dentro do processo de desenvolvimento de software não faz parte de uma fase definida, mas ocorre durante toda sua existência, em paralelo com outras fases do ciclo de vida. A abordagem de frameworks dentro deste contexto enfoca o tratamento de templates e definições das características dos artefatos de software (incluindo não somente código mas também produtos de análise, projeto, frameworks, componentes, diagramas, entre outros), facilitando e acelerando o processo de documentação. Um framework, devido a suas características peculiares que serão examinadas e explicitadas no trabalho, contém uma série de informações que podem, além de apoiar a documentação, ser úteis para produção de outros artefatos (por exemplo, planejamentos de teste, scripts de bancos de dados, padrões de codificação, entre outros) do processo de desenvolvimento. Assim, em um processo de desenvolvimento evolutivo, que utiliza a geração de artefatos como recurso, a manutenção pode ser integralmente realizada somente na especificação e não diluída nos artefatos gerados. O objetivo deste trabalho é investigar, propor e desenvolver uma ferramenta de documentação e geração de artefatos de software, denominado FrameworkDoc. O termo documentação de software aqui utilizado se refere a documentação de desenvolvimento de software, incluindo artefatos, arquiteturas, ferramentas entre outros. Serão abordados dois principais aspectos: primeiramente, a geração automática de documentação dentro do processo de desenvolvimento de software e depois a geração de outros artefatos deste processo, a partir das definições de alto nível disponíveis através do framework. Exemplos de aplicações do FrameworkDoc em projetos reais são apresentados. No entanto, os documentos e artefatos de software considerados foram definidos de forma suficientemente genérica para serem aproveitados em outros contextos.

A trajetória do ambiente jurídico-institucional do setor de software no Brasil e na Índia: identidades, diferenças e repercussões

Há mais de 30 anos o Brasil tem desenvolvido políticas específicas para o setor de informática, desde a Política Nacional de Informática da década de 70, passando pelo Período de Reserva de Mercado dos anos 80 e, nos dias de hoje, em que as Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC) são tidas como uma das áreas prioritárias na Política Industrial. Dentre as metas atuais, destaca-se o foco na ampliação do volume de exportações de software e serviços. Contudo, apesar dessas pretensões, o país não tem tido destaque internacional expressivo para o setor. Por outro lado, a Índia, também considerada como um país emergente, figurando na lista dos BRIC, foi responsável pela exportação de cerca de US$47 bilhões em software e serviços de Tecnologia da Informação (TI) em 2009, se destacando como um país protagonista no mercado internacional do setor. A implementação de uma indústria tecnicamente sofisticada como a do software, que exige um ambiente propício à inovação, em um país em desenvolvimento como a Índia chama a atenção. De certo existiram arranjos jurídico-institucionais que foram utilizados naquele país. Quais? Em que medida tais arranjos ajudaram no desenvolvimento indiano do setor? E no Brasil? Este trabalho parte da hipótese de que o ambiente jurídico-institucional desses países definiu fluxos de conhecimento distintos, influenciando o tipo de desenvolvimento do setor de software de cada um. Averiguar como, entre outros fatores sócio-econômicos, esses arranjos jurídico-institucionais influenciaram na conformação diversa de fluxos de conhecimento é o objetivo específico desta pesquisa. Entende-se aqui como ambiente jurídico-institucional todas as regulamentações que estabelecem instituições, diretrizes e condições comuns para determinado tema. Partindo do pressuposto de que o setor de software desenvolve atividades intensivas em conhecimento, para cada país em questão, serão analisados apenas arranjos jurídico-institucionais que tiveram, ou têm, poder de delimitar o fluxo de conhecimento referente ao setor, sejam eles provenientes de políticas comerciais (de exportação e importação, ou de propriedade intelectual) ou de políticas de investimento para inovação. A questão fundamental ultrapassa o debate se o Estado deve ou não intervir, para focar-se na análise sobre os diferentes tipos de envolvimento observados e quais os seus efeitos. Para tal, além de revisão bibliográfica, foi feita uma pesquisa de campo na Índia (Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore) e no Brasil (São Paulo, Brasília e Rio de Janeiro), onde foram conduzidas entrevistas com empresas e associações de software, gestores públicos e acadêmicos que estudam o setor.

Dos requisitos à arquitetura em linhas de produtos de software: uma estratégia de transformações entre modelos

The tracking between models of the requirements and architecture activities is a strategy that aims to prevent loss of information, reducing the gap between these two initial activities of the software life cycle. In the context of Software Product Lines (SPL), it is important to have this support, which allows the correspondence between this two activities, with management of variability. In order to address this issue, this paper presents a process of bidirectional mapping, defining transformation rules between elements of a goaloriented requirements model (described in PL-AOVgraph) and elements of an architectural description (defined in PL-AspectualACME). These mapping rules are evaluated using a case study: the GingaForAll LPS. To automate this transformation, we developed the MaRiPLA tool (Mapping Requirements to Product Line Architecture), through MDD techniques (Modeldriven Development), including Atlas Transformation Language (ATL) with specification of Ecore metamodels jointly with Xtext , a DSL definition framework, and Acceleo, a code generation tool, in Eclipse environment. Finally, the generated models are evaluated based on quality attributes such as variability, derivability, reusability, correctness, traceability, completeness, evolvability and maintainability, extracted from the CAFÉ Quality Model

Model-based reuse for crosscutting frameworks: assessing reuse and maintenance effort

Abstract Background Over the last years, a number of researchers have investigated how to improve the reuse of crosscutting concerns. New possibilities have emerged with the advent of aspect-oriented programming, and many frameworks were designed considering the abstractions provided by this new paradigm. We call this type of framework Crosscutting Frameworks (CF), as it usually encapsulates a generic and abstract design of one crosscutting concern. However, most of the proposed CFs employ white-box strategies in their reuse process, requiring two mainly technical skills: (i) knowing syntax details of the programming language employed to build the framework and (ii) being aware of the architectural details of the CF and its internal nomenclature. Also, another problem is that the reuse process can only be initiated as soon as the development process reaches the implementation phase, preventing it from starting earlier. Method In order to solve these problems, we present in this paper a model-based approach for reusing CFs which shields application engineers from technical details, letting him/her concentrate on what the framework really needs from the application under development. To support our approach, two models are proposed: the Reuse Requirements Model (RRM) and the Reuse Model (RM). The former must be used to describe the framework structure and the later is in charge of supporting the reuse process. As soon as the application engineer has filled in the RM, the reuse code can be automatically generated. Results We also present here the result of two comparative experiments using two versions of a Persistence CF: the original one, whose reuse process is based on writing code, and the new one, which is model-based. The first experiment evaluated the productivity during the reuse process, and the second one evaluated the effort of maintaining applications developed with both CF versions. The results show the improvement of 97% in the productivity; however little difference was perceived regarding the effort for maintaining the required application. Conclusion By using the approach herein presented, it was possible to conclude the following: (i) it is possible to automate the instantiation of CFs, and (ii) the productivity of developers are improved as long as they use a model-based instantiation approach.

Software as a service: Undo

This paper proposes a highly automated mechanism to build an undo facility into a new or existing system easily. Our proposal is based on the observation that for a large set of operators it is not necessary to store in-memory object states or executed system commands to undo an action; the storage of input data is instead enough. This strategy simplifies greatly the design of the undo process and encapsulates most of the functionalities required in a framework structure similar to the many object-oriented programming frameworks.

MIA - a free and open source software for gray scale medical image analysis

Background Gray scale images make the bulk of data in bio-medical image analysis, and hence, the main focus of many image processing tasks lies in the processing of these monochrome images. With ever improving acquisition devices, spatial and temporal image resolution increases, and data sets become very large. Various image processing frameworks exists that make the development of new algorithms easy by using high level programming languages or visual programming. These frameworks are also accessable to researchers that have no background or little in software development because they take care of otherwise complex tasks. Specifically, the management of working memory is taken care of automatically, usually at the price of requiring more it. As a result, processing large data sets with these tools becomes increasingly difficult on work station class computers. One alternative to using these high level processing tools is the development of new algorithms in a languages like C++, that gives the developer full control over how memory is handled, but the resulting workflow for the prototyping of new algorithms is rather time intensive, and also not appropriate for a researcher with little or no knowledge in software development. Another alternative is in using command line tools that run image processing tasks, use the hard disk to store intermediate results, and provide automation by using shell scripts. Although not as convenient as, e.g. visual programming, this approach is still accessable to researchers without a background in computer science. However, only few tools exist that provide this kind of processing interface, they are usually quite task specific, and don’t provide an clear approach when one wants to shape a new command line tool from a prototype shell script. Results The proposed framework, MIA, provides a combination of command line tools, plug-ins, and libraries that make it possible to run image processing tasks interactively in a command shell and to prototype by using the according shell scripting language. Since the hard disk becomes the temporal storage memory management is usually a non-issue in the prototyping phase. By using string-based descriptions for filters, optimizers, and the likes, the transition from shell scripts to full fledged programs implemented in C++ is also made easy. In addition, its design based on atomic plug-ins and single tasks command line tools makes it easy to extend MIA, usually without the requirement to touch or recompile existing code. Conclusion In this article, we describe the general design of MIA, a general purpouse framework for gray scale image processing. We demonstrated the applicability of the software with example applications from three different research scenarios, namely motion compensation in myocardial perfusion imaging, the processing of high resolution image data that arises in virtual anthropology, and retrospective analysis of treatment outcome in orthognathic surgery. With MIA prototyping algorithms by using shell scripts that combine small, single-task command line tools is a viable alternative to the use of high level languages, an approach that is especially useful when large data sets need to be processed.

Desarrollo de frameworks con .NET

La expansión experimentada por la informática, las nuevas tecnologías e internet en los últimos años, no solo viene dada por la evolución del hardware subyacente, sino por la evolución del desarrollo de software y del crecimiento del número de desarrolladores. Este incremento ha hecho evolucionar el software de unos sistemas de gestión basados en ficheros, prácticamente sin interfaz gráfico y de unos pocos miles de líneas a grandes sistemas distribuidos multiplataforma. El desarrollo de estos grandes sistemas, requiere gran cantidad de personas involucradas en el desarrollo, y que las herramientas de desarrollo hayan crecido también para facilitar su análisis, diseño, codificación, pruebas, implantación y mantenimiento. La base de estas herramientas software las proveen las propias plataformas de desarrollo, pero la experiencia de los desarrolladores puede aportar un sinfín de utilidades y de técnicas que agilicen los desarrollos y cumplan los requisitos del software en base a la reutilización de soluciones lo suficientemente probadas y optimizadas. Dichas herramientas se agrupan ordenadamente, creando así frameworks personalizados, con herramientas de todo tipo, clases, controles, interfaces, patrones de diseño, de tal manera que se dan soluciones personalizadas a un amplio número de problemas para emplearlas cuantas veces se quiera, bien marcando directrices de desarrollo mediante el uso de patrones, bien con la encapsulación de complejidades de tal modo que los desarrolladores ya dispongan de componentes que asuman cierta lógica o cierta complejidad aliviando así la fase de construcción. En este trabajo se abordan temas sobre las tecnologías base y plataformas de desarrollo para poder acometer la creación de un framework personalizado, necesidades a evaluar antes de acometerlo, y técnicas a emplear para la consecución del mismo, orientadas a la documentación, mantenimiento y extensión del framework. La exposición teórica consiste en mostrar y evaluar los requisitos para crear un framework, requisitos de la plataforma de desarrollo, y explicar cómo funcionan las grandes plataformas de desarrollo actuales, que elementos los componen y su funcionamiento, así como marcar ciertas pautas de estructuración y nomenclatura que el desarrollo de un framework debe contemplar para su mantenimiento y extensión. En la parte metodológica se ha usado un subconjunto de Métrica V3, ya que para el desarrollo de controles no aplica dicha metodología en su totalidad, pero contempla el catálogo de requisitos, los casos de uso, diagramas de clase, diagramas de secuencia, etc… Aparte de los conceptos teóricos, se presenta un caso práctico con fines didácticos de cómo parametrizar y configurar el desarrollo bajo la plataforma .NET. Dicho caso práctico consiste en la extensión de un control de usuario genérico de la plataforma .NET, de tal modo que se aplican conceptos más allá del hecho de crear funciones como las funcionalidades que puede brindar un API. Conceptos sobre como extender y modificar controles ya existentes, que interactúan por medio de eventos con otros controles, con vistas a que ese nuevo control forme parte de una biblioteca de controles de usuario personalizados ampliamente divulgada. Los controles de usuario son algo que no solo tienen una parte funcional, sino que también tienen una parte visual, y definiciones funcionales distintas de las típicas del software de gestión, puesto que han de controlar eventos, visualizaciones mientras se dan estos eventos y requisitos no funcionales de optimización de rendimiento, etc… Para el caso práctico se toma como herramienta la plataforma de desarrollo .Net Framework, en todas sus versiones, ya que el control a extender es el control ListView y hacerlo editable. Este control está presente en todas las versiones de .NET framework y con un alto grado de reutilización. Esta extensión muestra además como se puede migrar fácilmente este tipo de extensiones sobre todos los frameworks. Los entornos de desarrollo usados son varias versiones de Visual Studio para el mostrar dicha compatibilidad, aunque el desarrollo que acompaña este documento esté realizado sobre Visual Studio 2013. ABSTRACT The expansion in computer science, new technologies and the Internet in recent years, not only is given by the evolution of the underlying hardware, but for the evolution of software development and the growing number of developers. This increase has evolved software from management systems based on files almost without graphical interface and a few thousand of code lines, to large multiplatform distributed systems. The development of these large systems, require lots of people involved in development, and development tools have also grown to facilitate analysis, design, coding, testing, deployment and maintenance. The basis of these software tools are providing by their own development platforms, but the experience of the developers can bring a lot of utilities and techniques to speed up developments and meet the requirements of software reuse based on sufficiently proven solutions and optimized. These tools are grouped neatly, creating in this way custom frameworks, with tools of all types, classes, controls, interfaces, design patterns,… in such a way that they provide customized solutions to a wide range of problems to use them many times as you want to occur, either by dialing development guidelines by using patterns or along with the encapsulation of complexities, so that developers already have components that take some logic or some complexity relieving the construction phase. This paper cover matters based on technologies and development platforms to undertake the creation of a custom framework, needs to evaluate before rush it and techniques to use in order to achieve it, a part from techniques oriented to documentation, maintenance and framework extension. The theoretical explanation consists in to demonstrate and to evaluate the requirements for creating a framework, development platform requirements, and explain how large current development platforms work, which elements compose them and their operation work, as well as mark certain patterns of structure and nomenclature that the development of a framework should include for its maintenance and extension. In the methodological part, a subset of Métrica V3 has been used, because of, for the development of custom controls this methodology does not apply in its entirety, but provides a catalogue of requirements, use cases, class diagrams, sequence diagrams, etc ... Apart from the theoretical concepts, a study case for teaching purposes about how to parameterize and configure the development under the .NET platform is presented. This study case involves the extension of a generic user control of the .NET platform, so that concepts apply beyond the fact of creating functions as the functionalities that can provide an API. Concepts on how to extend and modify existing controls that interact through events with other controls, overlooking that new control as a part of a custom user controls library widely publicized. User controls are something that not only have a functional part, but also have a visual part, and various functional definitions of typical management software, since that they have to control events, visualizations while these events are given and not functional of performance optimization requirements, etc ... For the study case the development platform .Net Framework is taken as tool, in all its versions, considering that control to extend is the ListView control and make it editable. This control is present in all versions of .NET framework and with a high degree of reuse. This extension also shows how you can easily migrate these extensions on all frameworks. The used development environments are several versions of Visual Studio to show that compatibility, although the development that accompanies this document is done on Visual Studio 2013.