[Patents] Some remarks on Vol 1 #284

[Bernard Lang Bernard.Lang@inria.fr]

On Thu, Oct 12, 2000 at 02:05:20PM +0200, Yann DIETRICH wrote:
> 
> PILCH Hartmut wrote
> 
> >You mean you used closed-source software where the copy protection had
> >been removed by someone?
> >Sorry, that doesn't make you a hacker.
> 
> 
> What I try to explain to many other lawyers in other meeting is just that
> copy and "non-respect of copyright" is cultural for people in computer
> field....

Just do not do that when I am in the room with witnesses. ... I will
sue you for libel.

  I am a computer professional, but apparently unlike some lawyers, I
do nor use napster or cracked software.

  As for the asinine statement that software patentshelp SMEs, it
would be a lot more credible if :
  - if the proponents of that point of view were not independant IP
professionnals, who have SMEs as clients, since corporations have
their own IP people.
  - if they were honest enough, when talking about patents, to warn their
clients that they stand a good chance of finding themselves on the
wrong end of the patent gun by unwittingly infringing on someone else
patent.

  But though I have attended several presentations by patents office
people or private IP professionnals, I never heard such warning, which
says alot about the honesty of said professionnals to their "clients"

  As for corporate IP professionnals, they just laugh at such
statements.  In private of course.  In public, they let go : it serves
so well their purpose.

Bernard Lang


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