Re: [Patents] pooling patents, version 2

[Peter Vandenabeele <peter.vandenabeele@mind.be>]

On Sat, Jan 04, 2003 at 02:10:51AM +0100, Simo Sorce wrote:
> On Fri, 2003-01-03 at 22:36, Peter Vandenabeele wrote:
[...]
> > 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,

I don't think (but not sure) that it makes a difference for patents if it 
sold for money or given away for 0 EURO ?

> 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). 

This sounds a little strange to me. The same program (if it is a compiled
language such as C), would be less vulnerable if the source code is not 
delivered with it ? I don't feel too good about this method of reducing 
vulnerability to SW patents, even if it would work.

> These are the consequences I see.

Peter

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