From Nick@bigfatpanda.fsnet.co.uk  Thu Jun 14 11:33:34 2001
From: Nick@bigfatpanda.fsnet.co.uk (Nick Fleming)
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2001 11:33:34 +0100
Subject: [Patents] Re: 80,000 signatures
References: <87k82gv5yd.fsf@mulix.oas.a2e.de> <00cd01c0f431$d11baa80$a9b0fea9@flint1.mi.home.com> <3B27AB14.44CA9B7D@realmeasures.dyndns.org> <03af01c0f471$7297b2c0$a9b0fea9@flint1.mi.home.com>
Message-ID: <001101c0f4bd$7851d8c0$5038893e@oemcomputer>

Ronald J Riley wrote:
> Beyond that, I think that they should stop whining about other people's
> inventions and start inventing their own solutions.  That is what the
patent
> system is all about. That faced with having to pay tribute to an inventor
that
> people invent even better ways of solving the problems at hand.

Mr Riley,
As a professional software engineer who has to deal with the very
real problems created by the current patent system,  it is abundantly
clear to me that you do not have the slightest idea as to how
 software is actually written. (My apologies if you
do , but it is not apparent to me in your writing).

    I personally have always felt that software should be treated separately
from other industries with regard to patents, as they tend to work against
economic and social prosperity in this particular instance.
Given that software is now so widely ingrained into most aspects
of daily life, you've just got to question the wisdom of allowing legally
enforced (potentially world wide) monopoly control over what has become
such an  essential building block of modern civilisation. - haven't you ?

regards,

Nick Fleming.





