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To: Constantine XIII
Plus, if MS sues, they’ll have to highlight just which parts of the Linux kernel violate their patents. Any code that might offends can be repaired in six months.

Maybe, maybe not. Software patents covers processes and methodologies so it may not be as simple as just rewriting the code a little differently to accomplish the exact the exact same thing.

This is the problem with software patents and patents in general in the digital age - they are too broad and too easy to obtain.

To illustrate how ludicrous the process is, a company called Gemstar patented the "idea" of presenting TV listings in a grid like format. All cable systems and devices like Tivo had to pay Gemstar a royalty to display the listing in such a format. Fortunately, this patent is starting to be broken.

141 posted on 05/14/2007 11:35:44 AM PDT by JeffAtlanta
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To: JeffAtlanta; Constantine XIII
To illustrate how ludicrous the process is

There are many more gems out there. The doubly-linked list (invented and openly published without patent in the 50s) was recently patented, and so is the progress bar.

What's really sad about a lot of these patents is that they are computerizing or web-izing what has already been done on paper or computer for years. Take the one against Dell a few years ago for calculating various costs associated with an order (taxes, shipping, etc.).

143 posted on 05/14/2007 12:49:01 PM PDT by antiRepublicrat
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