PBS Digital Studios "Inventors" Martin Goetz

PBS Digital Studios’ biweekly series called "Inventors," features portrait videos by filmmaker and photographer David Friedman, chronicling the work of contemporary inventors from all walks of life. It offers rare glimpses into the inspiration for their creations, which range from the first digital camera and first video game console to a drive-able amphibious ice-fishing vehicle. Martin Goetz, the inventor of the first patented software, is the subject of this week’s video,

There's a good chance that you've heard about the controversy around software patents, but you probably don't know the story of Martin Goetz, who got the very first software patent in 1968. Today, some people say that software patents owned by big companies end up stifling innovation in small companies, but the first software patent was a tool that enabled a small company to compete against a big corporation.