[Patents] PATNEWS: Software copyrights as threatening as software

[Willem Konynenberg wfk@xos.nl]

Alessandro Rubini wrote:
> Greg, anyone knowledgeable reading your message will think that you
> either are stupid or are pretending your reader is stupid.  I'd really
> prefer that you were stupid, but unfortunately you are not.

Greg is applying a well known and common technique that is very
popular among what is commonly known as "the gutter press".

He makes insinuating statements that he knows would have been untrue
if he hadn't been careful to phrase them as leading questions.

A nice example of how this technique works was demonstrated once
by a Dutch comedian, playing the role of gutter press journalist.
It went something like this:

Cover page:
BIG NEWS
        DOES QUEEN BEATRIX HAVE A WOODEN LEG?

Contents:
        LEAD ARTICLE:
                Does Queen BEATRIX have a WOODEN leg?   Page 3

Page 3:
        Queen Beatrix                   Wooden Leg?

        Recently we have received several indications that there
        might be something going on with the queen's leg ...
        ... wooden leg? ...
        ...
        See page 15

Page 15:
        Wooden leg, continued

        ...
        Thus, ... no proof that ... queen Beatrix ... DOES ...
        have a wooden leg!


-- 
     Willem Konynenberg <wfk@xos.nl>