On 6/24/2010 12:57 PM, Orchid XP v8 wrote:
>>> I was under the impression that things like (for example) the API for
>>> DirectX is patented.
>
>> Actually.. No. An API is an "interface". The underlying way that it
>> goes from, "I gave it this data", to, "It gave me this result", is
>> what is patented, not the API itself.
>
> Really? Interesting. What underlies the API calls is obviously subject
> to _copyright_ protection, but I didn't think you could _patent_
> executable code. However, I thought that you *can* patent an API.
>
>> Otherwise emulating **anything**, including the BIOS, which you need
>> to do things like DOSBox, would be illegal too.
>
> Only illegal if the BIOS interface is patented. (AFAIK, it isn't.) The
> actual BIOS code in any given motherboard has copyright protection
> [usually], but then it only works with one given motherboard anyway...
>
Well, if I am wrong about that, and I may be. It still doesn't make 
sense. Part of the patent law **explicitely* allows "interoperability". 
You can't have it both ways and a) prevent someone duplicating the API, 
and also b) allow people to design something that can inter-operate with 
the software/hardware that uses the API.

-- 
void main () {

     if version = "Vista" {
       call slow_by_half();
       call DRM_everything();
     }
     call functional_code();
   }
   else
     call crash_windows();
}

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