Rollie Cole is the Executive Director of the Software Patent Institute and Director of Technology Policy for the Sagamore Institute for Policy Research.

He was also the first president of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups - APCUG.

In the first interview Rollie explains the Software Patent Institute. Back in 1990, some companies were getting concerned that patent offices were getting inundated with patents applications for software related inventions and didn't have the capacity to handle them the way the computer industry thought they should be handled.

They formed the Software Patent Institute to help educate the examiners on new technologies and what exists out their already either as patentable or as prior art and also as a place to maintain a database of existing technology.

Rollie is also the Director of Technology Policy for the Sagamore Institute for Policy Research, and tells us about this thinktank located right here in Great Lakes Geek territory.

In the second interview, we hear from Rollie about his first user group experience, about that nasty letter from IBM and the events that led to the formation of APCUG.

Rollie tells about some of the early issues such as the anti-copy-protection campaign spearheaded by APCUG founder Jerry Schneider and Jerry's efforts to have user groups designated as educational organizations, and eligible for non-profit status, as opposed to being a trade association.

He tells how BCS president Jonathan Rothenberg helped solve the Big group vs Little Group situation, the first Board of Directors, Gene Barlow and other vendors and the role of Comdex.

We then hear Rollie's thoughts on the future of user groups, large events like CES and why he always wears a suit. Rollie tells about the early days of APCUG - how it was started, what issues they faced,

Listen to this interview

March 6, 2006 Interview #2 (APCUG)

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34:25