Re: [Usability] [Fwd: Microsoft pockets an IM patent (fwd)]

[Alan Horkan <horkana maths tcd ie>]

On Thu, 9 Oct 2003, Julien Olivier wrote:

> On Thu, 2003-10-09 at 11:04, Calum Benson wrote:
> > Damn, and I used to like this feature....
> >
>
> Well, where's the problem ? You leave in Ireland, don't you ? And this

IIRC Calum is Scottish and works for Sun Microsystems in Ireland

> patent doesn't apply to the EU, does it ?

Not yet, but it remains to be seen if recent changes to European patent
law have been successfully neuteured and ...

> So what's the problem ?

Multinationals such as Sun Microsystems are sometimes forced to appeal to
the lowest common denominator and not develop seperate versions for
different regions.  American laws and policies have far reaching effects
much to the annoyance to much of the rest of the world who have seem to
have little or no say even in matters and are increasingly unable to
convince the current adminstartion to act multilaterally.  (I'll stop with
the politics before some one accuses me of being anti-American again just
because I have an opinion on world politics).

Sun could provided two versions, the same way European software developers
could reverse engineer the ASF video format microsoft has patents on (for
example only)  but that kind of thing does not seem to happen very often
and it seems easiest to just steer clear of legal minefields and expensive
time wasting risks.  I fear the lowest common denominator applies
unfortunately.

Sincerely

Alan Horkan
http://advogato.org/person/AlanHorkan/