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09-22-2003, 04:30 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Georgia
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Knoppix is closing?
http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/ Quote: Closed because of "Software-Patents"
In the next few days, the European Parliament will decide about the legalisation and adoption of so-called "software patents" in Europe, which are already used by large companies in other countries to put competitors out of business. This can lead to the termination of many software projects such as KNOPPIX, at least within Europe, because the holders of the over 30,000 already granted "software patents" (currently without a legal foundation) can claim exclusive rights and collect license fees for trivial things like "progress bars", "mouseclicks on online order forms", "scrolling within a window" and similar. That way, software developers will have to pay the "software-patentholders" for using these features, even in their own, completely self-developed applications, which can completely stall the development of innovative software for small and medium companies. Apart from this, the expense for patent inquiries and legal assistence is high, for even trying to find out if the self-developed software is possibly violating "software-patents", if you want to continue to market your software. Contrary to real patents, "software-patents" are, in the current draft, monopolization of business ideas and methods, even without any tangible technical implementation.
| More info on software patents in Europe.
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09-22-2003, 08:03 PM
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#2 (permalink)
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Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Iowa
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The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't suck is probably the day they start making vacuum cleaners. --- Author Unknown.
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09-22-2003, 08:09 PM
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#3 (permalink)
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Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Chicago, IL
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I don't use Linux because I hate Windows (which I do) I use Linux because I like it.
play mtrek! telnet://mtrek.com:23
Odds are very good there are several spelling mistakes in this post.
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09-22-2003, 08:11 PM
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#4 (permalink)
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Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: N-the-center-Kansas
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This is not good at all man I hope thinks don't down this way  | |
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09-22-2003, 08:21 PM
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#5 (permalink)
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Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Ghetto KCMO
Posts: 1,320
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what crap 
last time i checked the copyright law, programming used language and therefore freedom of speech, and so even if you "happened" to copy a program, it didn't matter, it was free speech.
this may not be the case in Europe though..
grrr..
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09-23-2003, 03:29 AM
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#6 (permalink)
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Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Sunny, smogy Southern California
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hey, don't worry, when software patents, IP, and proprietary software vendors have arrested devolopment in the US and EU we will still have CHINA and RUSSIA to turn to for electronic freedom Quote: |
last time i checked the copyright law, programming used language and therefore freedom of speech, and so even if you "happened" to copy a program, it didn't matter, it was free speech.
| free speech is a myth, we have "restricted" free speech -it protects things like trade secrets -and people from threats or verbal assault
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09-23-2003, 09:57 AM
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#7 (permalink)
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Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Scotland, UK
Posts: 2,946
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The thing about software patents, in order to work, the companies concerned need to prove they did it FIRST and declare the said code to the world. Anyone can go and look at a patent and get the designs for any piece of equipment, but they have to seek permission to base a product on it. I can see some companies having trouble with handing over their source to be inspected by anyone.
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NuKeS
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09-23-2003, 10:42 AM
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#8 (permalink)
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Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,777
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I was under the impression that these protests were only temporary. I also saw this from Mplayer's Website
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Got root?
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09-23-2003, 10:49 AM
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#9 (permalink)
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 37
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This is bad news. I absolutely love the Knoppix distribution and rely on it in precarious situations. I'll be guarding the ISO with my life.
Even though software is written using 'languages', it wouldn't be covered by the American convention of freedom of speech. Europe is certainly a special situation because each country probably has it's own consitution and I would assume there is some type of binding document associated with European Union membership. Also, most people don't realize that Freedom of Speech as defined by the U.S. Constitution protects free speech relative to speaking against the government. It still rests on the old high school argument that you can't just say whatever you feel (i.e. you can't shout fire in a movie theatre and expect not to be arrested if there is no fire).
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09-23-2003, 10:58 AM
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#10 (permalink)
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Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Mesa, AZ
Posts: 1,325
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there are certain things I think that should not be considered under 'patent" I mean how can you patent a progress bar?
how can you patent something based on an internet standard that is required to be in compliance with the standard.. I can understand patenting YOUR method of implementing something to comply with a standard (as long as there are other ways to d it AND yours is revolutionary)
attached for my thoughts on lawyers and law makers.... 
Last edited by AzKidd69; 09-23-2003 at 11:02 AM.
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