Article View: gnu.misc.discuss
Article #73564Re: Ben Franklin on patents
From: Jon Allen Boone
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1991 16:45
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1991 16:45
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horne-scott@cs.yale.edu (Scott Horne) writes: > Excuse me, but I don't see GNU champing at the bit to use anyone's patented > ideas. One of the reasons for the existence of the LPF (League For Programming Freedom) is to help put an end to silly patents. Since almost any trivial algorithm can now be patented, every piece of code produced by the FSF for their GNU project *may infringe upon 1 or more patents*. The proposal would not only help clean up a messy situation, but, indeed, something like Public Key RSA (which is patented, and, some say *ought* to be patented) could be licensed for 3-5% of the selling cost - there could be a GNU RSA implementation which would be FREE - something we can *not* get here - today! I'm sure that the GNU project could easily find a use for that idea - not to mention other notable patented ideas such as LZ(W)-compression, combining scroll-bars, buttons, and windows together (some wierd Apple patent for hyper-text), etc. ----------------------------------|++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ | "He divines remedies against injuries; | "Words are drugs." | | he knows how to turn serious accidents | -Antero Alli | | to his own advantage; whatever does not | | | kill him makes him stronger." | "Culture is for bacteria." | | - Friedrich Nietzsche | - Christopher Hyatt | -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- |"When a man commits himself to anything, fully realising that he is not | | only choosing what he will be, but is thereby at the same time a legis- | | lator deciding for the whole of mankind - in such a moment a man cannot | | escape from the sense of complete and utter responsibility." | | - Jean Paul Sartre on the meaning of "anguish" | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
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<PCG.91Aug18210217@aberda.aber.ac.uk> <04PX74w164w@mantis.co.uk> <0cgKBxK00j5uAwB4cs@andrew.cmu.edu> <1991Aug21.030950.16687@cs.yale.edu>Show Full Headers
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X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 1025b4,9434f7b17f215464 X-Google-Attributes: gid1025b4,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 1991-08-21 20:32:50 PST Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!gmdzi!unido!fauern!ira.uka.de!yale.edu!qt.cs.utexas.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!sei.cmu.edu!fs7.ece.cmu.edu!crabapple.srv.cs.cmu.edu!andrew.cmu.edu!jb3o+ From: jb3o+@andrew.cmu.edu (Jon Allen Boone) Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss Subject: Re: Ben Franklin on patents Message-ID: <ocgdWcO00j5u8zdfNg@andrew.cmu.edu> Date: 21 Aug 91 16:45:28 GMT References: <PCG.91Aug18210217@aberda.aber.ac.uk> <04PX74w164w@mantis.co.uk> <0cgKBxK00j5uAwB4cs@andrew.cmu.edu> <1991Aug21.030950.16687@cs.yale.edu> Organization: Statistics, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA Lines: 35 In-Reply-To: <1991Aug21.030950.16687@cs.yale.edu>