Re: [Patents] That Article

[Russell McOrmond <russell@flora.ca>]

On Tue, 30 Nov 2004, Gregory Aharonian wrote ... Yet more arrogant things
suggesting that we know nothing, and he knows everything...

> What Collins is probably refering to, and was probably misquoted, is
> the idea/expression dichotomy, where in global copyright treaties and
> many national laws, you can protection software "expression" but not
> software "ideas"  (look at the TRIPS treaty for typical language).
> 
> The problem is that for software, no one knows what the heck this means.

  The problem for software is that outsiders want to protect software
"ideas", but the vast majority of actual practitioners want to protect
only software "expressions" and *DO NOT WANT* software "ideas" or "facts"
to be granted government protectionist monopolies.


  The biggest problem we face is that outsiders who don't understand
software have such unrestricted arrogance to believe that they are so
right that they can ignore the majority of people who actually work with
software and impose their own "policy ideas"  (software being a form of
policy) on all of us.

> Greg Aharonian
-- 
 Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/> 
 Code is Law: how software code regulates the activities of citizens,
 and acts similar to law.  How do we ensure transparency/accountability?  
 http://www.flora.ca/russell/drafts/code-is-law.html