Re: False assumptions re: patents

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Article #74588

#74588

From: Tim Bradshaw
Date: Tue, 12 Mar 1991 12:02

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>>>>> On 11 Mar 91 10:29:47 GMT, fmhv@minerva.inesc.pt (Fernando
>>>>> Manuel Vasconcelos) said:

> [About the high cost of policing software patents].

> The mechanism for enforcing a fair system seems to me more and more expensive
> as this discussion goes on.

> Previously I had forgotten the price of policying the system ...

I think this is absolutely crucial to any argument against software
patents.  Whether or not you actually think they are wrong, it's
unlikely that anyone is going to listen to a bunch of weirdo hackers
with all sorts of strange ideas about free software &c (yes, I *know*
patents & free software are different, but not everyone does).

But there is a pretty convincing argument that software patents are
just about unenforcable with reasonable expense.  Surely this is a
good argument against software patents if nothing else is?

--tim
Tim Bradshaw.  Internet: tim%ed.cstr@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk
UUCP: ...!uunet!mcvax!ukc!cstr!tim  JANET: tim@uk.ac.ed.cstr
"...wizzards & inchanters..."

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<7421:Mar606:04:0391@kramden.acf.nyu.edu> <898@nddsun1.sps.mot.com> <TIM.91Mar7152958@kahlo.cstr.ed.ac.uk> <1991Mar11.102629.2@minerva.inesc.pt>

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From: tim@cstr.ed.ac.uk (Tim Bradshaw)
Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss
Subject: Re: False assumptions re: patents
Message-ID: <TIM.91Mar12120234@kahlo.cstr.ed.ac.uk>
Date: 12 Mar 91 12:02:34 GMT
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