der bastler 0 Posted August 27, 2003 More than 1500 sites have decided to follow the OnlineDemo action against software patent laws in Europe. Here's a FAQ It seems that this action partly succeeds, there will be a decision tomorrow wether to adjourn the adoption (should originally take place on September 9th) or not. My opinion: Let's cross fingers that software patents don't become legal in Europe. (E.g. IBM owns a patent on progress bars... ) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dauragon 0 Posted August 27, 2003 whats this all about? whats patent? what does it mean? ?????????????? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kegetys 2 Posted August 27, 2003 It means that, for example if Company X would get a patent for "A method of drawing a 3D model of a tree in a computer game" or something then no-one could ever have 3D trees in their game anymore without paying royalities to Company X. Simply put its idiotic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Longinius 1 Posted August 27, 2003 Seems logical to me. Almost every component/technology and its cousin in the hardware business is or was patented at one time or another. Was only a matter of time before the software guys chipped in. I dont like it, but I can see it coming. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SgtBarnes 0 Posted August 27, 2003 Didn`t British Telecom try to lay some claim to Hyperlinks years ago? Nothing came of it i bet... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kegetys 2 Posted August 27, 2003 Seems logical to me. I dont think its logical at all... Any kind of copyright or hardware patents I understand, its an actual end-product that you made, and that you can sell. But for patenting a computer software "means of doing something" is like a music artist would, instead of having a copyright for his song, get a patent for the means of making music and then no one else could ever create music anymore, no matter if the actual music produced would be nothing like the patent holders music. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gollum1 0 Posted August 27, 2003 What!? This law is ridiculous! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SgtBarnes 0 Posted August 27, 2003 But for patenting a computer software "means of doing something" is like a music artist would, instead of having a copyright for his song, get a patent for the means of making music and then no one else could ever create music anymore, no matter if the actual music produced would be nothing like the patent holders music. Ahh, like Metallica patenting chords E and F? Â http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/07/17/ctv.metallica/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
der bastler 0 Posted August 27, 2003 Ahh, like Metallica patenting chords E and F? Â http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/07/17/ctv.metallica/ Learn a chord. Learn another. Learn a third. Now form a band! SCNR Back on-topic: It's ridiculous, indeed! Amazon got a patent on "sending presents from within a web shop"... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bn880 5 Posted August 27, 2003 I'd say it would be fine if you were limited and obligated to sell your patent to another software developer for no more than say 1000 Euros. (or maybe less) So that people are still making money from their inventions, but others are not totally stuck. EDIT: Actually I am worried some people will sit down and grab all the ideas they can and try to leech off other people trying to actually make something usefull. So this is mostly a bad idea, especially since there will be no limit and obligation to sell. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kegetys 2 Posted August 27, 2003 I'd say it would be fine if you were limited and obligated to sell your patent to another software developer for no more than say 1000 Euros. And that would in the end eliminate all free and cheap "shareware" software that people make on their free time. Quote[/b] ]So that people are still making money from their inventions, but others are not totally stuck. If you invent a good piece of software, you can make money by selling it. Its absolutely stupid to legally ban anyone else from making (and NOT copying!) a software that does the same job as yours but cheaper or maybe in a more efficient way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bn880 5 Posted August 27, 2003 Yeah you're right on that. I thought this was about the WAY you made something not the function it performs. (why would I think that, because it is completely illogical to give patents like that, for example Bill Gates could have gotten a patent on "Operating System" lol) EDIT: I do however think many software developers don't get enough credit for their ideas. In the past all ideas were turned into product and sold. Now with all this technology some great "discoveries" are spread extremely fast and the zombies that make them sometimes are struggling to pay rent. I was just thinking, in software a lot of people don't get proper rewards, especially when you compare to the insane reward Microsoft gets. EDIT2: Another reason for not allowing this kind of patenting is that very often things are developed in parallel. It happens all the time and how do you prove to someone thye ripped off an idea, especially if they didn't. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
der bastler 0 Posted August 27, 2003 (why would I think that, because it is completely illogical to give patents like that, for example Bill Gates could have gotten a patent on "Operating System" lol) Why should Bill Gates get patent on "Operating System"? SCNR Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bn880 5 Posted August 27, 2003 Because, (if you were Polish I would use some different joke,) but he's a greedy bastige. Operating: It's not so bad for the function it's designed to perform of being a Desktop operating system, at least there is a uniform development environment across the globe for gaming titles. (that's XP I'm talking about) When you don't want to spend weeks figuring out how to customize your OS to perform some specific function, XP is just fine. Not everyone wants to buy a kit car as they might not have the time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kegetys 2 Posted August 27, 2003 I do however think many software developers don't get enough credit for their ideas. Well, if a programmer is unhappy to his salary, he can always find another job... Though I think the best programmers are those that program out of the pure enthusiasm, they want to make a good program, effective with clean code and nice hacks, and often also want to share the way its done also. With software its also very different than with a piece of hardware, the developer can deny access to the source code, which makes it very very very hard, if not impossible to directly copy your way of doing things. Thats plenty of protection for your invention, if someone needs something similar, he can either figure out his own way of getting the same results or ask you for the original code. Patenting the end result of an invention does not even have anything to do with the code, you could still copy the code used in the patented result and use it for accomplishing something else than what the patent "protects". For example, as in my above example, if some artist had patented the means of making music, someone else could copy the tunes he played and use those not to make music, but to scare off the birds from his yard. That would not be a violation of the "means of making music" patent would it? Yet the artist's "invention" would be lost. But luckily the copyright law is already there to protect him better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Harnu 0 Posted August 27, 2003 It means that, for example if Company X would get a patent for "A method of drawing a 3D model of a tree in a computer game" or something then no-one could ever have 3D trees in their game anymore without paying royalities to Company X. Simply put its idiotic. ? I thought for something like that. If they patent a way to draw a 3d tree. Then you can still use 3d trees, you just can't make them the way that is patented. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baron Hurlothrumbo IIX 0 Posted August 27, 2003 Theres only so many ways to make a 3d tree. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bn880 5 Posted August 27, 2003 I do however think many software developers don't get enough credit for their ideas. Well, if a programmer is unhappy to his salary, he can always find another job... Yeah sure theoretically speaking, reality is a little different. People around Ottawa will even do overtime for free or agree to work 10h or more per day not to get fired. Let alone ask for a raise or attempt to find another job. Anyway, software developers are not just programmers. Programmers just sit and code as they are told, Maruk and Ondrej for example are developers not really programmers. Guys working for them are programmers, graphic artists, etc etc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tamme 0 Posted August 27, 2003 I've heard about this law somewhere before. Just let me know if they approve the law so I can get a patent for: 'Areas located in Central Europe, Africa and Vietnam' so I have to be payed before they can be used in any software. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EiZei 0 Posted August 27, 2003 Hopefully the EU wont succumb into this insanity. Good example Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Harnu 0 Posted August 28, 2003 Theres only so many ways to make a 3d tree. Could you explain to me this? I'm thinking in a differnt dimension. There's got to be hundreds of ways to make a tree. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EiZei 0 Posted August 28, 2003 Theres only so many ways to make a 3d tree. Could you explain to me this? Â I'm thinking in a differnt dimension. Â There's got to be hundreds of ways to make a tree. Ever heard of overly vague patents? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tex -USMC- 0 Posted August 28, 2003 Theres only so many ways to make a 3d tree. Could you explain to me this? Â I'm thinking in a differnt dimension. Â There's got to be hundreds of ways to make a tree. Ever heard of overly vague patents? Hey there you! I all ready have a patent on rhetorical questions, so I demand you edit your post accordingly! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theavonlady 2 Posted August 28, 2003 /avon drafts faq patent edit: /which will include a patent faq Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
