[Patents] Some more comments from Critto

[Krzysztof Sobolewski critto@proterians.net]

  Hello again,
it's me - Critto.
I could not leave those mails uncommented. I have GRATEFUL THANX
to Bernard Lang for his support - I think that we could just start
such campaign, using a good and free program to create banners - eg. 
GIMP. Please contact me on private e-mail if you have some other
campaign proposals...
  And I have some comments to other people:
   
    On 13.12.19999, 14:42:11 -0500 (CET), Gregory Aharonian wrote:

>>a "No software patents" campaign is a good idea

>Despite being one of the biggest critics of the incompetence of patent
>offices (PTO/EPO/JPO) in examining software patents, this campaign is a
>waste of time, bordering on idiotic.  There is no way to statutorily
>define "software" cleanly enough to allow such patents to then be
>banned.

  Maybe... But it SHOULD be defined; almost ALL legal decisions, bills
and acts are arbitrary - they depend on someone's decision. If we can
make something better, why not to be a bit arbitrary ?

>For example, hardware/software codesign philosophy and tools pretty
>much render moot any actual distinction between software and hardware,
>especially in light of representation languages like VHDL and Verilog.
>So to ban software patents would require banning hardware patent as
>well.  Additionally, software patents were for some time "banned" in
>the US as mathematical algorithms (in light of court rulings), but
>still patented by crafty drafting of patent claims (usually by throwing
>in hardware into the claim).
  I may only repeat what Bernard Lang has written. And we don't have
to take US decisions as a template -  we are independent union - 
European Union - we should protect ours, not somebody's else interests.

>And occasionally, there is the totally novel and unobivous software
>idea (but not the 20,000+ a year according to the USPTO) worthy of
>being protected by a patent.

  Yeah, there is. And patents are those that kill that good, novel,
unobvious soft idea; if LPF has published the report 
("Industry at Risk"), you should have read it before you say anything,
okay ? In that report, they've clearly pointed out, WHY software
patents are bad at all.
  And one more thing - we, software makers, have the best protection
in the world - copyrights. I think that copyrights are even more
strict then patents, but do not have destructive influence on the
market - and really they are RIGHT, not privilege like patents.
So, for what we need the patents if we have such good protection ? 
Patents fit here like... a muck to a dinner table(sorry for 
obscene-like comparison).

>So the solution is to fix the system (which can be easily done),

  I don't believe in the system fixation, in the case of software
patents - that system is too old, and software at all is very novel.
Moreover, there is NO easy way to fix it - politicians, who make
law, are not the people who wish to do anything easily, without
making or seeking problems, and proceeding the endless debates.

>instead of these cute but pointless campaigns.
  I want to repeat what Bernard Lang has written: WE MUST make
pressure to make any changes. Without a campaign, we could change
nothing; big companies demanding patents on anything have much money
for any campaign; maybe we have less, but we have more inventions - 
so we shall win.
  Let's take a look at the results of BLUE RIBBON - weren't they great?
If there was no EFF nor Blue Ribbon campaign, with turning 
www pages black and putting BR logos on them (a waste of time, eh ?), 
the CDA could win in the court. So, to change anything, first we
must raise awareness and gain attention - and do it well; what will
happen later, we will see.

>Greg Aharonian
   antipatently yours 
      Critto
*****************************************************************
          Krzysztof(Christopher) Kazimierz "Critto" Sobolewski
e-mail:critto@proterians.net
www:http://proterians.net/~critto
 (only polish language
         pages yet :-((
phone:+4858 301-72-50
address:ul. Krosna 32/2, 80-857 Gdansk
, POLAND, EUROPE
      having software patents:
          #LET_THE_SOFTWARE_MARKET_SURVIVE
          #CEASE_PATENT_MADNESS
          #STOP_THAT_PATENTING_STUPIDITY
            ... and some more
        (licensing for free!)
*****************************************************************     
PS. To all: Make love, not patent law! ;-)))
PS.1 I have nothing to do with Proterians company, except
     having e-mail account and www pages there.