Re: Negotiating for using Royalty Free patents

[jamie <jamiemcc blueyonder co uk>]

On Sun, 2004-04-11 at 00:04, Sean Middleditch wrote:

> 
> For those who aren't familiar with this issue, which at least one person
> seems to be, the reasoning is fairly clear.  (This is the simplified
> explanation, not the 400-page complete legal explanation.  IANAL.)  If
> we violate a patent unknowingly, we can't be sued for malicious intent
> and damages, although we will of course have to stop violating the
> patent on request.  If we know about the patent and violate it, then we
> are intentionally breaking the law, in which case the developers can get
> sued big time.

That only applies to developers in the US. The rest of us can
deliberately violate as many software patents as we like without
breaking the law (AFAIK software patents can only be legally enforced in
US and Japan). Might be worth only copyrighting code to non-US citizens
on suspect projects just to be on the safe side.

jamie