The White House this month began allowing people to create petitions on its website. An early favorite asks the president to “direct the patent office to cease issuing software patents” The petition has more than 12,000 signatures, which puts it among the top 10 petitions on the White House website. Patents provide companies with “a competitive advantage, and it keeps people employed,” a patent attorney says. The petition’s author is not disclosed, but the argument that the petition raises is longstanding, he says.”]