[oclug] Fwd: [edlug] Rather Depressing

[Greg]

Adrian Irving-Beer wrote:
> On Sat, Mar 19, 2005 at 01:25:03AM +0000, Greg wrote:
> 
> 
>>>>That is what a patent forbids.
>>>
>>>That's a common misconception.  A patent for a method of skinning
>>>cats does not patent all methods for skinning cats, and there is
>>>more than one way to do it.
>>
>>http://www.groklaw.net/
> 
> Do you have a specific URL supporting that statement?  I was of the
> same understanding as Rod, myself, and scanning the front page doesn't
> seem to provide any text to the contrary, nor could I find a section
> on the legal issues regarding patents.

Four out of ten articles on that page deal with software patents.

Six out of fourteen on the headlines only page :
http://www.groklaw.net/staticpages/index.php?page=Headlines

 From his post, Rod seems to be severely ill-informed regarding the 
current controversies.  I thought the front page might be a good place 
where he might start informing himself.  If nothing else, the four 
articles would be a good start.  Your browser's text search function... 
look for "Patent" (uppercase "P", omit the quote marks)... will find 
three of the four, or five of the six.  I recommend 'Slip, Sliding Away 
on Software Patents', plus the pages it links to.

Furthermore, both pages link to a search function, third item in the 
reader's lefthand column, labelled "Search".  Unfortunately, it is slow 
and quits discarding results after a minute.  However, a search for 
"patent", in 'stories', in the first three months of this year, "found 
69 items", some of which appear to be relevant.


I had thought also to link to the archive of this, OCLUG, list, but I 
was busy and I can't remember which link reaches the archive and which 
reaches a page which links to it.  Wait.. here it is :
http://tux.oclug.on.ca/pipermail/oclug/

There have been many articles and links posted here, regarding the 
innovation-stiffling effects of patents, copyright, and other 
"intellectual property" rights.  One is a remark, by yourself, about the 
US Patent Office, in this very thread.  Others will be more difficult to 
find, but I expect.. I thought people would have noticed.