[Patents] Re: consultation questions

[phm@a2e.de (PILCH Hartmut)]

> Hartmut just posed 8 questions.  Here are logically equivalent questions:

[ Greg substituted "software" for "hardware" and did a few more
  replacements, leading to meaningless questions ]

Now we go through another iteration loop:

> Increasingly in the hardware design world, the exchange, sale and
> licesning of hardware IP (systems described in hardware design
> languages) is approaching the levels of sales of software, the final
> manufacture into physical form handed over to large fab factories
> little different from the large factories that burn software CDs for
> sale.  Hartmut's questions, once again, help show the equivalence of
> hardware and software in so many aspects as to require their patentability
> to be equivalent as well.  Thank you Hartmut for your continuing efforts
> to demonstrate the equal patentability of hardware and software.

Since your replacement made the list of questions meaningless, it is you
who are to be thanked for a demonstration.

Pierre Breese already did quite a good job of responding.

You might feel that your time would be better wasted by responding to the
meaningless version.  What about giving it a try?

-phm