Martin Goetz, the first software patent holder, dies at the age of 93

Thanks to CTOnews.com netizens OC_Formula and Coje_He for the clue delivery! CTOnews.com, October 24-Martin Goetz, known as the father of third-party software, died of leukemia at his home in Brighton, Massachusetts, on October 10 at the age of 93.

▲ New York Times Martin Goetz is an American software engineer who was granted his first software patent in 1968. Before him, the line between software and hardware was blurred, and the software was usually adjusted at customer's request and bundled with the hardware.

CTOnews.com learned that in 1964, after attending a conference on software intellectual property issues, Martin Goetz realized that an "improved data sorting algorithm" he had developed could be patented.

Martin Goetz filed the relevant patent application on April 9, 1965 and was granted on April 23, 1968, United States Patent number 3380029.

"We live in a world where Goetz's vision, scientific innovation and tenacious perseverance have brought software from today's common app stores and stores," said Robin Feldman, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco.