[Patents] free sw removed from german website due to US swpat threats

[kristoff.bonne@compaqnet.be (Kristoff Bonne)]

Greetings,


On Sun, 10 Jun 2001, PILCH Hartmut wrote:
> > Then Dersch is an idiot getting bad advice who isn't being terrorized.
> > Unless there are German patents involved, IPIX's US patents don't
> > require him to do anything.  Additionally, this is free image
> > processing software packages all over the Internet (including some
> > from US government agency laboratories).
> > All he has to do is fax a letter to IPIX saying "US PATENTS HAVE NO
> > ENFORCEMENT VALUE IN GERMANY.  GOODBYE."

> I would suspect that too.
> On the other hand side, the German Federal Court seems to think
> differently, since it has handed penal verdicts to forein citizens
> (e.g. an Australian) for information crimes (publishing nazi
> propaganda on a website in Australia).
> Thus things have become very uncalculable for an ordinary citizen.
> And I think Dersch is getting some legal advice.  He has been harassed by
> iPIX for several years, all on the basis of US patents.
> If they get an injunction that will make it risky for him to travel to
> the US, that might be enough.
> But I don't know.

Well, isn't this a good way to get a real 'ruling' on this?
Can't some organisation (like eurolinux.org, or some other European
organisation) set up a mirror of the software on their website; and tell
IPIX  "it is now on our website. If you don't like it, just sue us"!

That way, you can provoke a clear 'ruling' on this and it would be a
good way  to get publicity for this problem.

(Just an idea ;-))

Cheerio! Kr. Bonne.