From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,52a0bacbcdd2da17 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2003-08-16 16:34:22 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!feed.cgocable.net!read1.cgocable.net.POSTED!53ab2750!not-for-mail From: "Warren W. Gay VE3WWG" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada References: <3F367B39.8060108@noplace.com> <1060611604.45048@master.nyc.kbcfp.com> <3F38DEBC.8040208@noplace.com> <3F3A39E6.1070803@noplace.com> <3F3CDDDF.70205@noplace.com> <3F3E18C5.8090708@noplace.com> Subject: Re: Software Patent Concerns => New Black Markets? X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1158 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1165 Message-ID: <8hz%a.3754$q9.203932@read1.cgocable.net> Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2003 19:34:18 -0400 NNTP-Posting-Host: 24.150.168.167 X-Complaints-To: abuse@cogeco.ca X-Trace: read1.cgocable.net 1061077188 24.150.168.167 (Sat, 16 Aug 2003 19:39:48 EDT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2003 19:39:48 EDT Organization: Cogeco Cable Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:41616 Date: 2003-08-16T19:34:18-04:00 List-Id: "Ludovic Brenta" wrote in message news:m3wuddwt2n.fsf@insalien.org... > Marin David Condic writes: > > Suppose I wrote "Marin's OS" and it started becoming enormously > > popular. Bill gates comes around and wants to buy it from me and I > > don't want Microsoft to crush it. I say "O.K. You can buy it for > > Thirty Seven Trillion Dollars and you have to kiss my ass on PBS > > during their fund raisers for the next 5 years." You think he'd get > > the message? :-) I like your thinking here! 8-) > 2) Sue *you* for patent infringement, over one of their 18,459 > software patents (though probably not the one that covers the "use > of the colour blue in a screen that warns the user about a fatal > condition that caused the operating system to become inoperative"). > You'd have no option but to give them your source code, for free, > _and_ under NDA, so that no-one else will benefit from it. I find the software patents trend to be a very disturbing one. The patent system will soon be so tied up that you will no longer be able to sell anything without infringing upon someone's patented rights. Of course they won't bother you while you're struggling to get established. They'll sue you only after you have "made it", or will sue you to put you out of business. What is even MORE disturbing, is that you soon won't be able to distribute or share software either, without infringing upon some patented software process. Imagine that you discover some very efficient way to produce thumbnails of images, and you post and/or give the code away. You then get sued for patent infringement on somebody's patented method that you discovered independently! If this goes its full course, there'll be few software development companies in the business, and less software sharing. Geeks will be forced back into a "black market", by the greed of those taking advantage of the "law". Is it any wonder that there are caustic lawyer jokes? -- Warren W. Gay VE3WWG http://home.cogeco.ca/~ve3wwg