<div dir="ltr"><div><div>Really? Do you still think patents are there to protect inventors? (I'll make an effort to keep this on-topic, I promise) See the ClearType, for example. Without entering into whether ClearType was really an improvement, a punctualization, or whatever on the previous Apple II Wozniak patent. Wozniak patent didn't prevent Microsoft from using a similar idea in their ClearType algorithm. That's because of patent portfolios, which really subvert the system upside-down. I can see the point in patenting the very specific algorithm. But not an idea! The very simple idea of `displaying images where data is "mapped" to individual (e.g. LCD) sub-pixels, instead of whole pixels` is patented! [1].<br><br></div>I see the point, however, in that competing products making money from foreign ideas is not fair (with <i>ideas</i> meaning a very detailed process, maybe <i>algorithms</i> would be better worded). They should include a fee for <i>borrowing</i> the idea. But don't we agree that patents, as they currently are, don't quite make sense with FreeSoftware? Who are they going to charge? Joe the User?? I think an exception for FOSS should be made, and not on a case-by-case basis.<br><br></div>I personally think, really, that patents were created with a very laudable purpose. But that logic has long been subverted. And we have to create alternative ways of revenue for creators. I don't know how much we can keep discussing this subject here, but I would be really interested on discussing this topic and sharing points of views with anybody interested.<br><div><div><br>[1] <a href="http://david.freetype.org/cleartype-patents.html">http://david.freetype.org/cleartype-patents.html</a><br></div></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">2015-06-11 0:25 GMT+02:00 M. Edward (Ed) Borasky <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:znmeb@znmeb.net" target="_blank">znmeb@znmeb.net</a>></span>:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">I can't speak for Europe, but in the US Constitution it's fairly clearly stated:<br>
<br>
"The Congress shall have Power ... To promote the Progress of Science<br>
and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and<br>
Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and<br>
Discoveries"<br>
<br>
In the case of software the implementation of the law may be<br>
problematic, but still, as an author and inventor I'd want those<br>
rights.<br>
<div><div class="h5"><br>
On Wed, Jun 10, 2015 at 2:21 PM, Alex Puchades <<a href="mailto:alex94puchades@gmail.com">alex94puchades@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
> It seems [1] that there are mixed opinions about the matter. I'll check with<br>
> fedora-legal. In any case, things like this [2][3][4] are really sad.<br>
><br>
> [1] <a href="https://fsfe.org/campaigns/swpat/swpat.en.html" target="_blank">https://fsfe.org/campaigns/swpat/swpat.en.html</a><br>
> [2] <a href="http://david.freetype.org/cleartype-patents.html" target="_blank">http://david.freetype.org/cleartype-patents.html</a><br>
> [3] <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/europes-unitary-patent.html" target="_blank">https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/europes-unitary-patent.html</a><br>
> [4] <a href="http://www.epo.org/news-issues/issues/unitary-patent.html" target="_blank">http://www.epo.org/news-issues/issues/unitary-patent.html</a><br>
><br>
><br>
> 2015-06-10 20:30 GMT+02:00 Bruno Wolff III <<a href="mailto:bruno@wolff.to">bruno@wolff.to</a>>:<br>
>><br>
>> On Wed, Jun 10, 2015 at 19:59:05 +0200,<br>
>> Ahmad Samir <<a href="mailto:ahmadsamir3891@gmail.com">ahmadsamir3891@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
>>><br>
>>><br>
>>> The funny thing about the MP3 patent expiring is that really MP3 is<br>
>>> going away, and has been going away for some time now; AAC encoded<br>
>>> audio in an MP4 container is becoming more prevalent these days, and<br>
>>> of course AAC is another codec you can't legally add in a distro that<br>
>>> resides in the u.s. .... so it looks like a race, one that Linux is<br>
>>> losing unless users add 3rd party repos that can package those<br>
>>> patent-encumbered codecs; 3rd party repos have a lower risk of getting<br>
>>> sued, since they're individuals and suing them wouldn't bring in that<br>
>>> much money anyway (you need to sue a big wealthy company to justify<br>
>>> the lawyer hourly fees :)), of course IANAL, so don't take my views on<br>
>>> legal matters to heart.<br>
>><br>
>><br>
>> Opus (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opus_%28codec%29" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opus_%28codec%29</a>) has become an<br>
>> important audio codec that doesn't have patent problems.<br>
>><br>
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> Álex Puchades<br>
><br>
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