Re: Ada syntax patents

["rien" <aplisson-google@stochastique.net>]

Georg Bauhaus wrote:
> about compiling the BASIC IsNot operator, Patent Application
20040230959.

the patent covers the IsNot operator as a single operator. but if we
write "Not( A Is Nothing )" then we are not under the term of the
patent...

> What's this? What are they trying to protect? Is something
> like this on the way for Ada?
>  Interesting, everyone with an interest in a software exchange
> with a US resident/whatever will have to consider whether they
> can use comparison operators without being US-charged, patent
> (im)pending.

we may consider patenting the "+" operator, it would be fun... how
about patenting the principle of tokenizing a file and parsing it to
produce an executable file ?

more seriously, is there a way to protect ourself from such a patent ?
and what are the implication of such a patent ?

consider for example the ability to declare a task in Ada to do some
concurrent execution: there is no patent on it and we use it in Ada
since 1983. if someone decide to patent this kind of construct, can we
legally break the patent on the fact that they have not invented
anything and it has been in use long before they tried to patent it ?
if it is still patented, will it prevent us from using this construct
in our softwares (rendering Ada far less powerful) ? how could they
ensure we are not under the term of such a patent ?

(i'm not a lawyer and i don't understand anything about patents...)

-- 
rien