Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:
> Sufficiently rich companies file their patents in all the countries of 
> interest.

  Except that in Europe software patents are invalid and unenforceable.

> Of course, in most countries, you actually have to describe what you do 
> in the patent, and it isn't a violation of a patent if someone does the 
> same thing in a different way.  Sadly, the US got heads wedged between 
> buttocks when it comes to that too, at this point.

  And in most countries you can only patent real inventions which have
working prototypes and are economically/industrially feasible. For example
this patent would never go through in Europe:

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6960975.html

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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Warp wrote:

>   So the US is now some kind of supernation which laws apply to all the
> other countries as well?

*insert cynical political remarks here*

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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Warp wrote:
>   So the US is now some kind of supernation which laws apply to all the
> other countries as well?

No. We just act that way. ;-)

-- 
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
  Helpful housekeeping hints:
   Check your feather pillows for holes
    before putting them in the washing machine.

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Warp wrote:
> Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:
>> Sufficiently rich companies file their patents in all the countries of 
>> interest.
> 
>   Except that in Europe software patents are invalid and unenforceable.

True. Used to be the case here too. It didn't stop K&R from patenting 
the setuid bit by describing it as a mechanical device, not unlike a 
steam-punk lock. And of course, "any implementation of this with the 
same effect and design is also covered."  Never underestimate the slime 
that lawyers will wade thru to get around laws they don't like.

>   And in most countries you can only patent real inventions which have
> working prototypes and are economically/industrially feasible. For example
> this patent would never go through in Europe:

Yeah. Again, same used to be true here a few decades ago. The patent 
laws really only fell apart here maybe 50 years ago or so.

-- 
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
  Helpful housekeeping hints:
   Check your feather pillows for holes
    before putting them in the washing machine.

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On Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:54:08 -0700, Patrick Elliott wrote:

> Mind you, MS may have used the same lame logic about this project as
> they have in the past with proprietary protocols, presuming that if the
> API is complex, buggy, needlessly bloated and overloaded, no one could
> ever copy it. They where almost right. It took 12 years, instead of a
> week, like the last protocol they came up with.  lol

LOL, hadn't thought of it that way. :-)

Jim

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Warp wrote:
> Invisible <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
>>>   In how many countries do you think breaking an US patent is illegal?
> 
>> Most of them? (Or rather, most of the ones that have computers anyway...)
> 
>   So the US is now some kind of supernation which laws apply to all the
> other countries as well?

No, that's the UN, whose laws apply to everyone except itself...

Regards,
John

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