Ben Klemens
Encyclopedia
Ben Klemens is an Australian-American economist
and author. He works in the statistical research division of the United States Census
and was previously a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution
's Center on Social and Economic Dynamics. He holds a PhD in Social Sciences from Caltech.
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, and has written a textbook on statistical computing, Modeling with Data.
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]) and a law review article (PDF) that intangibles such as computer code and mathematics should not be patentable subject matter.
Klemens was previously the executive director of End Software Patents, 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. He is a featured expert in the documentary "Patent Absurdity: how software patents broke the system " (2010). His writings on the subject have appeared in the op-ed sections of The Wall Street Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post, and other major outlets. He has occasionally commented on broader issues of technology policy and patent law.
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
and author. He works in the statistical research division of the United States Census
United States Census
The United States Census is a decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution. The population is enumerated every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats , electoral votes, and government program funding. The United States Census Bureau The United States Census...
and was previously a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
's Center on Social and Economic Dynamics. He holds a PhD in Social Sciences from Caltech.
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
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
functions for C
C (programming language)
C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system....
, named Apophenia, and has written a textbook on statistical computing, Modeling with Data.
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]) and a law review article (PDF) that intangibles such as computer code and mathematics should not be patentable subject matter.
Klemens was previously the executive director of End Software Patents, an advocacy group that has lobbied to eliminating software patents and has organized around the Bilski v. Kappos
In re Bilski
In re Bilski, 545 F.3d 943, 88 U.S.P.Q.2d 1385 , was an en banc decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on the patenting of method claims, particularly business methods. The Federal Circuit court affirmed the rejection of the patent claims involving a method of...
case that was decided by the Supreme Court in 2010. He is a featured expert in the documentary "Patent Absurdity: how software patents broke the system " (2010). His writings on the subject have appeared in the op-ed sections of The Wall Street Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post, and other major outlets. He has occasionally commented on broader issues of technology policy and patent law.