Re: [fsl-discuss] Re: [Patents] The politics of software over-protection -- moving forward..

[Gregory Aharonian <srctran@world.std.com>]

>So So, Mr Aharonian, please give us an answer how protecting an idea,
>expressable in logics, by purchased monopoly, can enhance the technical
>development!

Protecting software ideas with patents enhances software technical
development the same way protecting electronic ideas with patents
enhances electronic technical development, the same way protecting
optical ideas with paents enhances optical technical development,
the same way protecting biotech ideas with patents enhances biotech
technical development, etc.  In each case, the expressed logic being
protected is the patent claims.

Now granted, the quality of issued patents in all fields of technology
in terms of novelty and obviousness has to be improved, and the quality
of patent claim drafting has to be improved.  But in a relative sense,
software is just the next technology that the logistics of the patent
system has to learn to deal with.  But not the logic - patents are for
processes, methods, machines and designs - which is what software is.

But copyright?  Software copyright was, is and will always be illogical.
That it ever ventured into the copyright world was due to a historical
accident of a Supreme Court basing one of its decision partly on
marketing considerations of an industry.  Read the copyright laws -
no copyright for ideas, processes and methods.  Especially source codes
- you would be a fool to rely on copyright to protect your source codes.

Greg Aharonian