The best way for any individual to help is simply to participate. Join something, or if you're feeling inspired (and no one's doing it already), start something! After all, Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) exists because the FOSS software user is the developer. In many cases, the user becomes the developer, because FOSS ensures that they have that right. It can be empowering, exhilirating, or scary, and sometimes all three.
The Ministry of Economic Development has published the submissions in relation to the draft guidelines on for the Examination of Patent Applications Involving Computer Programs discussion document. The call for submissions was clear that this was not an opportunity to revisit the decision to exclude software patents, saying “"In releasing the draft guidelines for comment, it is not intended to re-open the debate regarding the patentability of computer programs, or whether an amendment should be made to clause 15(3A).
