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You and Bruce Perens seem to agree
Bet you never thought you'd be keeping this company:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3422853.stm

"The biggest challenge that will face us after that is
software patenting. Software patents that are being
accepted are not necessarily inventions, their definitions
are overbroad. And you can never finish a patent search.
The definitions are so broad, you can't ever be sure a
company would or would not assert their patent on what
you are doing.

You have to consider engineers today spend their entire
careers combining other people's intellectual property.
And every small and medium sized enterprise is at risk
regarding software patenting. That is a problem in Europe,
because representatives to the European Parliament are
pushing very hard for software patenting that would
indeed shut out all small and medium businesses from the
software development business, not just open source.

We're looking at a future where only the very largest
companies will be able to implement software, and it will
technically be illegal for other people to do so. That's a
very, very bad situation developing. We must do
something so that there is reason for people to innovate,
there is reason for people to invent, but that companies
can execute without this constant fear that we will be sued
into the ground regarding software patenting."

The question is, Bit, as an independent software
developer, will you be able to afford to license all of these
patents?
Posted by: tic swayback   Posted on: 01/23/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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Holy XML Batman  FilledOut | 01/23/04
Nail, coffin  LightningShrike | 01/23/04
Nail, coffin  NoB$ | 01/23/04
Itll be a competition  LightningShrike | 01/23/04
Why not a Linux shill????  vferrara | 01/23/04
But where's the funding?  tic swayback | 01/23/04
But where's the funding?  nrlz | 01/24/04
This is a stupid thread  Martin Marvinski | 01/24/04
Linus?  ryusen | 01/23/04
2 words: George Soros  Art Jones2 | 01/26/04
change laws  stephen732@... | 01/23/04
Can't you guys see this is a facetious post  vferrara | 01/26/04
Not Linus, more like IBM, HP, AOL,  FilledOut | 01/24/04
It wont fly  OhMyGosh | 01/23/04
it's not XML...  in-DUH-vidual | 01/23/04
silly rabit  JWatson77 | 01/23/04
I'm confused...  jesusgeek | 01/23/04
Not so easy in Europe  FirstNLastN | 01/23/04
What are the visiting hours on my documents?  Nigel Johnstone | 01/23/04
Yes, this is just one more way to enrage customers.  DonnieBoy | 01/23/04
Remember Office 97?  issthatso | 01/23/04
Remember it?  Eggs Ackley_z | 01/23/04
M$'s attempt to further proprietize Office is already doomed to failure.  dicktaurus@... | 01/23/04
So much for open standards...  prime21 | 01/23/04
Right! Mico$oft NEVER means OPEN standards! (NT)  dicktaurus@... | 01/23/04
Software patents are bad!!!  vferrara | 01/23/04
I must agree  LightningShrike | 01/23/04
Maybe not  voska | 01/23/04
OK John Carroll...  Cardinal_Bill | 01/23/04
LOL - they have heads in sand somewhere  JWatson77 | 01/23/04
Patend Technology Not Data Formats  michael-t | 01/23/04
Er... anybody read the patents?  Sam_Lowry | 01/24/04
Can you hear me now???  No_Ax_to_Grind | 01/23/04
Loud and Clear  LightningShrike | 01/23/04
don't take it too seriously...  ryusen | 01/23/04
Nope  voska | 01/23/04
Read the Patents - not the poor reporting  Sam_Lowry | 01/24/04
You and Bruce Perens seem to agree  tic swayback | 01/23/04
don't say things like that....  ryusen | 01/23/04
Who do you think told Perens??? grin  No_Ax_to_Grind | 01/23/04
If they're so cheap, how will it lock them out?  tic swayback | 01/23/04
you were told it would be cheap  JWatson77 | 01/23/04
If you don't use office what does it matter?  No_Ax_to_Grind | 01/24/04
I guess unlike you, I care about people  JWatson77 | 01/24/04
Save the insults for your family members.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 01/25/04
Here's one for you...  Patrick Jones | 01/26/04
To Patrick...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 01/26/04
It's the content of the license.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 01/24/04
Bundling proprietary with OSS  tic swayback | 01/24/04
Once again, I agree with Bit. Neat!  Damon K | 01/23/04
Microsoft trying to show how stupid they are????  DonnieBoy | 01/23/04
Easy, it's just a patent...  IT_User | 01/23/04
Who said anything about patenting a data format?  Sam_Lowry | 01/24/04
You have got to be kidding  serpentmage | 01/23/04
Finally - someone took the time to read the patent...  Sam_Lowry | 01/24/04
Next up, the GNU Public Patent.  DonnieBoy | 01/23/04
Already sort of have that.  Robert Crocker | 01/24/04
A patent is merely that.  IT_User | 01/23/04
two statements from MS:  ryusen | 01/23/04
Go read the patent...  Sam_Lowry | 01/24/04
Next up, the GNU Public Patent.  DonnieBoy | 01/23/04
Different topic, same old strategy.  chiishen | 01/23/04
Read the patent  Sam_Lowry | 01/24/04
Oh  ParadigmOdyssey | 01/23/04
Patent this!  Eggs Ackley_z | 01/23/04
Okay, that does it, I'm patenting something!  el1jones | 01/23/04
patent this  JWatson77 | 01/23/04
I can't think of a better reason . . .  James Dean_z | 01/23/04
gee - didn't see this coming did we  JWatson77 | 01/23/04
Didn't see what?  Sam_Lowry | 01/24/04
OpenOffice getting to good to compete on quality  JWatson77 | 01/23/04
An MS user ready to evaluate the switch.  jimk_z | 01/23/04
Shareholders...  Sam_Lowry | 01/24/04
Corel (Corehell), Lotus Smartsuite, MS Ofc all doOmed  FilledOut | 01/24/04
COUGH... COUGH...  Sam_Lowry | 01/24/04
COUGH... COUGH...  Sam_Lowry | 01/24/04
Wheeze Wheeze . . .  FilledOut | 01/25/04
Er nope  Sam_Lowry | 01/25/04
Ern ope  FilledOut | 01/27/04
MS: Office will use XML and will be open as long as it is convenient  George Jay | 01/24/04
They will come out with some fromat that makes the world have to upgrade.  boatelc | 01/24/04
You know...  BitTwiddler | 01/24/04

What do you think?

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