[Patents] Some remarks on Vol 1 #284

[Yann DIETRICH Yann.Dietrich@enst.fr]

Luuk van Dijk wrote

>Each of these ideas I have come up with by myself as an answer to
>my own problems.  It is impossible to check each of these ideas
>for possible claims, and it cannot be fair to require me to do so,
>even if a law says I should.
>
>The whole reason for this discussion is that we don't want
>the law to become the problem.


I am agree with you but these argument can be dangerous .... and what will
you think if microsoft integrate your code lines in windows 2000 ( perhaps
it will work better ) ? you will sue them on the basis of your IP rights ...
so, patent is just an another form of protection, I think more efficient.

In my mind, in computer field, there is a cultural problem about IP rights.
( I use my first cracked software at 13 years old and I am a great fan of
napster .... and I am an IP/IT lawyer ) But, in a very monopolistic market
such as software, only strong legal instruments such as patent allow small
firms to earn market share, even if it is hard.

Yann Dietrich