"Darren New" <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote in message 
news:4b058a4d$1@news.povray.org...
> http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20090282325.pdf
>
> They're apparently trying to patent...

Tangentially related...

http://www.law.com/jsp/tal/PubArticleTAL.jsp?id=1202435316698&slreturn=1&hbxlogin=1

I have new hope.  Not only are the justices skeptical of Bilski, it actually 
sounds like the SCOTUS justices recognize that many types of patents should 
never have been approved.  In fact, they even seemed to attack the Deputy 
Solicitor General, because he was still in favor of things such as software 
patents.

Software is, and should be, covered by copyright law.  Period.  Just as one 
person can use an idea in their novel, even if it was obviously taken from 
another novel, it should not be prevented (via patent).  If you copy all, or 
a portion of, the other novel, it's a copyright violation.  Aside from text 
and interface (copyright), computer programs are mostly mathematics and 
databases, both of which are not patentable, nor copyrightable.  Alas, we 
have software patents, nonetheless.  Someone dropped the ball.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the SCOTUS shot them all down?  I have a little 
bit of hope.  If it doesn't happen in this case, it appears that they are 
simply waiting for a better case.

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