[oclug] Fwd: [edlug] Rather Depressing

[Greg]

Rod Giffin wrote:
> On Sat, 2005-03-19 at 01:25 +0000, Greg wrote:
> Rod Giffin wrote:
> 
>>>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/
> 
> Groklaw, and the SCO situation is not about patents.

Ms Jones and the Growlaw community have taken an interest in the EU 
legislative struggles, and are moving around to look back at the US.. 
and perhaps at WTO, TRIPS, etc.  There was a new story (Jones' word) 
posted today about the UK Patent Office's workshops to clarify the 
meaning of "technical contribution".

Last Octobre, the related Grocline project (it's linked in the upper 
lefthand column, just after Search) shifted its focus from the genealogy 
of Unix/Linux to "Patents and Prior Innovations".

   It's about helping
> people understand the issues surrounding SCO's legal threats, and SCO
> claims copyright infringement and breach of contract, not patent
> infringement.  There's a big difference.
> 
>>   That is what innovation is all about, coming up with new
>>>ways.
>>
>>True.  However, we are discussing patents
> 
> I was discussing patents.

Sorry, I thought the sentence about "innovation" was about "innovation".

I am well aware that people speaking about patents often throw in 
sentences about innovation, without any connective material, hoping that 
their listeners will assume there is a real, positive, connection, which 
need not be demonstrated.

Given the history of posts here, in oclug, and in the non-corporate 
software world generally, I did not think you would try that.

   There is nothing wrong with coming up with a
> different solution to a problem.  In fact, I can also take a patent, and
> improve on it, and then patent the improvement.

Sometimes.

   Even if the original
> patent holder wants to, he cannot without my permissioon, because the
> improvement is protected by a separate patent.  For your reference, there
> is a nice guide to patents at the CIPO.  Their site is here:
> http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/sc_mrksv/cipo/welcome/welcom-e.html

Yes, they are some of the people we dispute with.

For another, non-governmental, european, perspective :
Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure
http://ffii.org/

> Note that it has sections on patents, trademarks, copyrights, industrial
> designs, and integrated circuit topographies.  Each of these is a unique
> form of protection for one's creation based on the nature of the creation.
> 
> Rod.