I'm sure most people here are aware of software patents; for those that aren't there is a good article on wikipedia about the pros and cons here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_patent_debate

I am a firm beleiver that software patents stifle innovation and always seem to favour those with large wallets and an army of lawyers.

I'm not going to rant here and now I just wanted to bring your attention to a petition on the Prime Minister's web site. If you think that software patents are as an absurd an idea as I do please sign itUK residents only).

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/softwarepatents/#detail

Also, see my DaniWeb blog posting for more on this topic.