Hello, There is a usenet discussion thread pertaining software patents, and several questions are still hanging open. I kindly ask that you read the thread and share your views. The original thread is in comp.os.linux.advocacy and starts with the message:
Subject: Patents again Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.advocacy From: Kari Laine Date: Sun, 03 Oct 2004 19:53:04 +0300 or, you can reach it from Google via, http://groups.google.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] A particularly interesting question for me among others is, what is the status of a patented code introduced into a GPL program by the patent owners themselves? Do they automatically give up their relevant patent litigation rights against *all* GPL software base? If not, then what if some company at this very point is busy inserting a lot of patented code into Linux? Other questions are, - Should we abstain from getting into patent craze in denial of the concept? Or should we abuse the game by overplaying it, thus rendering it non-applicable, thus cancelling the game? - Howto create a self-funding open source patent organization? Other means of self-funding "open patents"? - How to get patents cheap? - How about a GPP (General Public Patent) legal document which makes the patent the valid currency, just like GPL makes the source code the valid currency? - Whether IBM, RedHat etc. allies getting "defensive" patents is a relief or a threat? Etc. etc. I would much appreciate it if you do not reply this post directly without reading the original thread, but visit c.o.l.advocacy and reply, if you wish so, from there. I recognize that this might be probably too much to ask, but I believe the situation (particularly the question of patent owners sneaking their patented code into GPL software base) is probably serious enough to warrant reading the whole thread (total 22 messages currently). Thank you. P.S. Also mailed to gnu.org & fsfeurope.org -- Abdullah | aramazan@ | Ramazanoglu | myrealbox | ________________| D.0.T cöm |__
