Lawsuit filed to force protection of sotware with patent instead of copyright

I don't know if this is a really interesting idea or if it's just nutty. One thing is for sure, regular copyright terms for software is ridiculous - like most copyrighted material it is utterly worthless after 100 years or more. I don't know if patent is the answer to this though. Certainly it is alarming that some companies, like Lexmark, think they can apply copyright law to their hardware technology via the code in their firmware and then sue anyone who tried to make compatible components (such as cheaper printer cartridges). Is this a huge problem? I don't know. I don't think this guys got a prayer with this lawsuit, but we'll keep our eyes on it. Keep in mind that the 9th Circuit in San Fran is overturned by the Supreme Court more than any other because sometimes they do some funny stuff, they're a little more ahead of the curve on some stuff.

Intellectual-property consultant Greg Aharonian hopes to convince the court that software makers can protect their products adequately through patents, which provide more comprehensive protection, but are difficult to obtain and expire in a shorter period of time.

CNN.com - Lawsuit filed to prohibit copyright protection of software.