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: 2003-08-18 07:25:58 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!postnews1.google.com!not-for-mail From: aek@vib.usr.pu.ru (Alexander Kopilovitch) Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Software Patent Concerns => New Black Markets? Date: 18 Aug 2003 07:25:57 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: 62.152.82.81 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Trace: posting.google.com 1061216758 14533 127.0.0.1 (18 Aug 2003 14:25:58 GMT) X-Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com NNTP-Posting-Date: 18 Aug 2003 14:25:58 GMT Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:41681 Date: 2003-08-18T14:25:58+00:00 List-Id: Ludovic Brenta wrote: > First, software consists of algorithms, Well, first, this is only one view (others are quite possible), and second, this is too inexact statement: actually, software consists of particular representations of algorithms, not the algorithms themselves; and after all (as Wirth pointed out by its well-known title, data structures is another essential part of the programs, that is, of the software). > and algorithms are a special form of mathematical proof. Very special; and which is more important, algorithms usually have properties, which are essential for their applications in software products, but largely irrelevant for their interpretations as mathematical proofs: for example, two algorithms for the same problem may differ in speed or in memory requirements (as well as in other things). > American mega-corporations > are lobbying the European Parliament to pass a law that permits > software patents Why law itself still isn't patented? If it were then American government may license that law to European Union. -;) > The European software industry is much smaller > than that in the US, and consists mainly of SMEs. If the EP adopts > software patents, then these SMEs will become easy targets for the US > mega-corporations, as per (a). But notice, that it may boost already quite strong European artificial intelligence R&D. The volume of patent data and complexity of patent law already reached levels at which an artificial intelligence approach is worth of consideration. > More importantly, it may well be > possible for European governments, armies, and utilities to get sued > over use of patented cryptographic or other algorithms. I dare not go > further into this reasoning, as the consequences could be > catastrophic. Just curious about possible scenarios of that catastrophe. Don't you think that the most vulnerable thing, which will break first of all, will be the law itself? Alexander Kopilovitch aek@vib.usr.pu.ru Saint-Petersburg Russia