Re: Boycott on Unisys still effective

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Article #307

#307

From: John F Hall
Date: Tue, 10 Jan 1995 11:20

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In article <3end5q$l32@xcalibur.IntNet.net>
           arl@news.IntNet.net "Al Lipscomb" writes:

> After all there is not great deal of difference between a copy
> right and a patent in terms of what you are protecting, an idea or way of
> doing something.

There is one very big difference between patent and copyright protection.
Copyright applies separately to each incremental change, and each developer
has protection for their bits.  Patents protect only the first to have an
idea.  This can lead to argument about who was first.  That's bad enough in
the case of hardware where there are purchase orders, prototypes,
photographs, and other hard evidence.  But for software, which can exist
solely in the abstract, how does one prove "prior use", that one had been
using the idea before the patent was granted (which is a perfectly good
defence to an allegation of patent infringement)?  That is why I, and many
others, object strongly to patenting software.

--
John F Hall     jfhall@avondale.demon.co.uk    CompuServe: 100016,1210

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From: jfhall@avondale.demon.co.uk (John F Hall)
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Subject: Re: Boycott on Unisys still effective
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