EU did it again...

[octopi]

Well, its seems the good people of europe decided it would be a good idea to make it legal to patent a software idea. Not the actual code...but the idea. The actual code is covered under the copyright laws, but the idea, say for example "A program that prints the message 'Hello World'" could be patented. Meaning it would be illegal for someone in europe to compile use this code:

code:

<?   echo "Hello World"; ?>

Theres more to the issue...but this may result in major programs for open source software. The apache group has modified there main page to inform people about this:

http://www.apache.org, its also mentioned on php's main page http://www.php.net and others.

Too bad I am a little late, the protest was a few days ago, and the decision came yesturday :S



http://swpat.ffii.org/#intro

This doesn't really apply to canadians...but it could have an affect on OSD

The idea of a patent is to protect an idea. It is really designed to make it posible for people to make an idea, and then attempt to get someone to build it, with out risking that company stealing your idea.

Heres another link tony pointed out to me....We see who the real pushing force behind this is:
http://swpat.ffii.org/players/microsoft/index.en.html

[Amailer]

/me Die EU!!!
creating probs for open source (if i was reading it right)

[Tony]

as taken from http://swpat.ffii.org/analysis/faq/index.en.html

Quote:

What is a Software Patent?
This question can be answered in various ways:

1. A software patentis a patent which aims to forbid the dissemination or execution of computer programs. The owner of a software patent is interested in capturing revenues from programs as such rather than from material results of production processes that run under program control. The software patent is designed to secure its owner a right to block other people from distributing or executing their own copyrighted programs, usually used for the purpose of extracting a share in license fee earnings from such programs. Software patents thus stand in a relation of competition with software copyright.

2. In a broad sense, all immaterial innovations, also called rules of organisation and calculation by German courts, are referred to as "software". Between "hardware" and "software", "physics" and "logics", "matter" and "mind", "technical teachings" and "rules of organisation and calculation" etc, there is a sharp borderline: in one case nature is questioned and the only reliable answer is obtained by experimenting with causally determined physical forces, in the other case the human mind is questioned and the only reliable answer is obtained by pure reason, e.g. mathematical proof, or by non-deterministic social science empiry.

check out what MicroSoft has already patented at http://swpat.ffii.org/players/microsoft/index.en.html... Like

Quote:

Architecture for manufacturing authenticatable gaming systems

for example

Basically those new patent laws will allow you to own "ideas" involving the use of software to achieve whatever goal. Which is an improvement, since with copyright, you can only own the sourcecode... Now you dont even need to write a program to own it, you can just think it up and hop on to the first plane for Europe

Further reading : http://swpat.ffii.org/

[PaddyLong]

that is fucking gay as shit... next thing you know people will be patenting fucking 1+1 and schools and stuff will have to pay royalties to teach it


seriously... you can't patent an idea that someone else will think of any way ...

I could see maybe patenting some complex algorithms, but patenting just basic things is just plain silly.

[Tony]

Tony's crazy "patent stuff to screw everyone else over" ideas

"game where you race other players using various means of transportation" - own all racing games

"game that involves strategical and/or tactical managment of units of any kind" - all of the strategy games

"game that simulates any real-life and/or fictional setting and/or actions" - own all Sim, FPS and such games

"game with 2D and/or 3D graphics!" - speaks for itself

"a software that sends text messages between clients to establish real-time text communication between users" - own MSN, ICQ, AIM and other chats

"a software that aids you in creating graphics and/or graphical charts" - that would just put Adobe and AutoCAD out of buisness

"a software that aids with office work by means of editing text and/or tables and/or databases and/or slide-show and/or web-page design" -

"a base that stores data" - parafrasing is funny

"anything that allows communication between anything" - if you think that's pushing it, read on

"a system that operates a computer by means of communicating between software and hardware" -

[rizzix]

you cannot patent something that is already being used by a multitude.

[AsianSensation]

yes, to quote PaddyLong, "that is fucking gay as shit".

that is, unless PaddyLong patents that sentence...

what happens when people have nothing better to do other to tamper with other people's lifestyle?

This won't even benefits the developers. If they patent their idea first, such as coming up with a new genre of games, and then patent it, it will be much harder for other people to improve upon that genre. I mean, if the first strategy game was patented, then everyone who wish to modify of create a srategy game will have to pay service fees or what-not, I don't think Starcraft would have been made.

I dread the day when North America is affected by this...

[Dan]

*dan runs over to eurpope to paten the idea of VR in the marxticks*

now when the mashaes take over the worald they will have to have my paten to make the maxtricks, HA HA HA HA.

[Martin]

Just to get in the mood
http://www.theonion.com/onion3311/microsoftpatents.html

[Mazer]

oh, that's just great. hey while they're at it, why doesn't some moron patent '0' and '1', so we can't even use our computers legally.

[Amailer]

?? that even real ??

[Tony]

actually thats just what Darkness posted about at http://www.theonion.com/onion3311/microsoftpatents.html

its an article (well its a jokes site, but their articles are preaty good) about just that - how M$ wants to copyright 1s and 0s

[Mazer]

tony wrote:

actually thats just what Darkness posted about at http://www.theonion.com/onion3311/microsoftpatents.html

its an article (well its a jokes site, but their articles are preaty good) about just that - how M$ wants to copyright 1s and 0s

oh, damn i didn't even read that article. and here i was thinking i had this great original joke. actually, i first saw it in a fox trot strip... damn taht kid is hilarious