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,FREEMAIL_FROM autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Thread: a07f3367d7,4c414b671e6762ef X-Google-Attributes: gida07f3367d7,public,usenet X-Google-NewGroupId: yes X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,UTF8 Received: by 10.181.11.234 with SMTP id el10mr625925wid.2.1345237532224; Fri, 17 Aug 2012 14:05:32 -0700 (PDT) Path: n2ni181703136win.0!nntp.google.com!feeder1.cambriumusenet.nl!feed.tweaknews.nl!194.109.133.84.MISMATCH!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed5.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!border4.nntp.ams.giganews.com!border2.nntp.ams.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!feed.xsnews.nl!border-1.ams.xsnews.nl!plix.pl!newsfeed2.plix.pl!217.153.128.51.MISMATCH!nf1.ipartners.pl!ipartners.pl!news.nask.pl!news.nask.org.pl!news.unit0.net!de-l.enfer-du-nord.net!feeder1.enfer-du-nord.net!gegeweb.org!aioe.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: =?utf-8?Q?Yannick_Duch=C3=AAne_=28Hibou57?= =?utf-8?Q?=29?= Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: copyright questions Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2012 18:22:18 +0200 Organization: Ada @ Home Message-ID: References: <9aa82823-3b7b-4212-949a-780efa7d7cc1@googlegroups.com> <7c43f9ce-3cb4-4116-948b-9801238ed47b@googlegroups.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: ExeDtHk+bhWT2UUrrzv9KQ.user.speranza.aioe.org Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Complaints-To: abuse@aioe.org User-Agent: Opera Mail/12.01 (Linux) X-Notice: Filtered by postfilter v. 0.8.2 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed; delsp=yes Content-Transfer-Encoding: Quoted-Printable Date: 2012-08-14T18:22:18+02:00 List-Id: Le Tue, 14 Aug 2012 17:39:22 +0200, Vasiliy Molostov = a =C3=A9crit: > APIs are not patentable, since does not contain any formula or process= = > description, they are writings in a tangible fixed form in nature, = > instead you can issue patent on interface protocol, which describes a = = > process (for example - ada task body). > > Ada 2012 standard comes with contracts in specifications (with PRE =3D= > = > ... etc) and can make them patentable (more patentable than before), = > since specification becomes a formula. What kind of formulas are patentable? At least, I'm rather sure math = formulas are not. I heard to say patents are mainly intended to protect = = investment made in physical processes researches (which are indeed = typically more expensive than computer based research and modelling). = There are also some laws intended to allow reverse engineering, when thi= s = is justified by needs for interoperability. I guess balancing between th= e = right for interoperability and the right for patent, would be an horror.= = Patenting API and protocol (not internal protocols, which is different),= = would be like patenting the precise definition of a standard screw threa= d. = Hardly believable, isn't it? With software, you have ways to protect you= r = stuff, you don't have with physical things. For physical things, you hav= e = no choice, except patents. For software, patents are not required: you c= an = decide to not publish sources (or provide these only to parties you can = = trust), encrypt data, and others options. If you want to protect an = investment made in an xyz-alloy (which typically implies avoiding sales = = lost), you have no others choices, you must patent (I don't mean a = metallic alloy is easy to copy, but that's less easy to protect simply, = = than to protect non-trivial original computation techniques distributed = as = machine instructions). -- = =E2=80=9CSyntactic sugar causes cancer of the semi-colons.=E2=80=9D [1] =E2=80=9CStructured Programming supports the law of the excluded muddle.= =E2=80=9D [1] [1]: Epigrams on Programming =E2=80=94 Alan J. =E2=80=94 P. Yale Univers= ity