Ben Klemens

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Ben Klemens
Ben Klemens.jpeg
Born (1975-04-10) April 10, 1975 (age 46)
OccupationEconomist, writer, emoji designer
Known forSoftware patents
Falafel emoji
Websiteben.klemens.org

Ben Klemens (born April 10, 1975) is an Australian economist, author, and co-host of the podcast 'Pod, Paper, Scissors'.[1] He works for the US Treasury Department[2] and was previously a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution's Center on Social and Economic Dynamics.[3] He holds a PhD in Social Sciences from Caltech.[4]

Klemens is the author of the proposal to the Unicode consortium for the Falafel emoji,[5] which will be appearing across web platforms in 2019.[6][7]

Statistical computing[]

In the realm of statistical computing, Klemens has done extensive work on statistical analysis for large data sets and non-traditional models such as agent-based models. He developed an innovative library of statistics functions for C, named Apophenia,[8] and has written a textbook on statistical computing, Modeling with Data.[9]

Software patent policy[]

Klemens has also worked on the policy aspects of computing, and in particular the issue of software patents. He has argued in a book entitled Math You Can't Use (ISBN 0815749422) and a law review article[10] that intangibles such as computer code and mathematics should not be patentable subject matter.[11]

Klemens was previously the executive director of , an advocacy group that has lobbied to eliminating software patents and has organized around the Bilski v. Kappos case that was decided by the Supreme Court in 2010.[12][13] He is a featured expert in the documentary Patent Absurdity: How Software Patents Broke the System (2010).[14] His writings on the subject have appeared in the op-ed sections of The Wall Street Journal,[15] Ars Technica,[16][17] and The Washington Post.[18] He has occasionally commented on broader issues of technology policy and patent law.[19]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Pod, Paper, Scissors https://podpaperscissors.com/. Retrieved July 29, 2020. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ^ Klemens, Ryan Nunn, Laura Kawano, and Ben (February 22, 2018). "Unemployment insurance and worker mobility". Brookings. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  3. ^ "Ben Klemens". Brookings.edu. Brookings Institution. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  4. ^ policies, CEP council on economic. "Contributor - Council on Economic Policies". Council on Economic Policies. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  5. ^ Spiro, Amy (February 6, 2019). "Falafel emoji on its way to your phone - OMG - Jerusalem Post". www.jpost.com. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  6. ^ Klemens, Ben (April 4, 2018). "Proposal to Add Emoji Symbol for Falafel to Unicode" (PDF). Unicode.org. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  7. ^ Judkins, Maura (February 7, 2019). "Why does the new falafel emoji look like potatoes?". Washington Post. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  8. ^ "Apophenia". Free Software Directory. Free Software Foundation. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  9. ^ Klemens, Ben (February 17, 2008). "U.S. expanding the law – domestic and foreign – to benefit corporations". SFGate.com. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  10. ^ Klemens, Ben (2008). "The Rise of the Information Processing Patent" (PDF). Journal of Science & Technology Law. 14 (1). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 20, 2009. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  11. ^ Klemens, Ben (January 14, 2006). "Math You Can't Use, Ch. 6". Groklaw. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  12. ^ "Ben Klemens on software patents". End Soft Patents. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  13. ^ "Bilski v. Kappos (2010, USA)". End Soft Patents. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  14. ^ "Patent Absurdity: How Software Patents Broke the System". PatentAbsurdity.com. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  15. ^ Klemens, Ben (March 25, 2006). "The Gravity of the U.S. Patent Swindle". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  16. ^ Klemens, Ben (January 10, 2019). "Software patents poised to make a comeback under new patent office rules". Ars Technica. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  17. ^ Tashea, Jason. "Are software patents about to make a comeback? Revised guidance may do just that". ABA Journal. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  18. ^ Klemens, Ben (August 25, 2006). "U.S. Patent Imperialism Hurts American Interests". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  19. ^ Palmer, Helen (July 3, 2007). "$1 million to rat out your company!". Marketplace. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved April 28, 2015.

External links[]

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