Article View: gnu.misc.discuss
Article #73014Re: Copyleft & royalties for authors
From: Scott E. Preece
Date: Thu, 14 Nov 1991 23:18
Date: Thu, 14 Nov 1991 23:18
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2118 bytes
In article <NELSON.91Nov12233938@cheetah.clarkson.edu> nelson@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Russ Nelson) writes: | but much of the discussion claiming that software is significantly | different from other areas of invention is not very convincing. | | Try this: Software is the only means of production for which the | incremental cost of production is nearly free. --- I don't think I understand this argument at all. What has the cost of production to do with the patentability of something? Are you saying only expensive things should be patentable? In any case, this doesn't make software unique. You can patent, for instance, hybrid plants, which cost nothing whatever to produce. For many drugs and other chemicals the cost of production is negligible on the same scale as software; the profitability or non-profitability is wholly based on incidental costs, like research, development, and marketing. Just like software. scott -- scott preece motorola/mcg urbana design center 1101 e. university, urbana, il 61801 uucp: uunet!uiucuxc!udc!preece, arpa: preece@urbana.mcd.mot.com phone: 217-384-8589 fax: 217-384-8550
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X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 1025b4,246c9c7ef4135c55 X-Google-Attributes: gid1025b4,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 1991-11-14 23:44:40 PST Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!gmdzi!unido!mcsun!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!mcdphx!udc!preece From: preece@urbana.mcd.mot.com (Scott E. Preece) Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss Subject: Re: Copyleft & royalties for authors Message-ID: <PREECE.91Nov14171837@neptune.urbana.mcd.mot.com> Date: 14 Nov 91 23:18:40 GMT References: <1991Nov3.233743.29063@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca> <PREECE.91Nov6094424@neptune.urbana.mcd.mot.com> <1991Nov7.152026.13220@cs.umn.edu> <PREECE.91Nov9020722@neptune.urbana.mcd.mot.com> <NELSON.91Nov12233938@cheetah.clarkson.edu> Sender: news@urbana.mcd.mot.com (news) Distribution: gnu Organization: Motorola MCD, Urbana Design Center Lines: 25 In-Reply-To: nelson@sun.soe.clarkson.edu's message of 13 Nov 91 04:39:38 GMT Nntp-Posting-Host: neptune.urbana.mcd.mot.com