Re: [Patents] pooling patents, version 2

[Simo Sorce <simo.sorce@xsec.it>]

On Fri, 2003-01-03 at 22:36, Peter Vandenabeele wrote:
> You are 100% right in the current definition of "Free SW" and e.g. GPL as
> one implementation of it. If the concept of SW patents is allowed, it is 
> not possible anymore to build a Free SW "codebase" that is guaranteed Free.
> All freedoms that you can ensure with Copyright, can be taken away again 
> through patenting. This is the painfull reality and that is the motivation 
> to fight SW patents, but also to think of other defenses.

I'm happy you agree.

> > The net gain is that you will end converting free
> > software to freeware, a horrid idea.
> 
> In my understanding of definitions, it is not really "freeware" in 
> the sense of freeware as software that you can freely use, but you do 
> not have the source code of. It is software that is protected by other 
> mechanisms than only Copyright.

Sorry there was a misunderstanding, what I meant, was that in the best
conditions you will only be able to share software gratis but the
receiver will not be able to use free software commercially because of
patents, in the worst case you will be forced to release without source
code because otherwise the code could reveal a patent infringement (not
that you know there are but the risk will be too high). 

These are the consequences I see.

Simo.

-- 
Simo Sorce - simo.sorce@xsec.it
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