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

[Julien Olivier <julo altern org>]

On Fri, 2003-10-10 at 00:55, Alan Horkan wrote:
> 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
> 

Well, Scottish, Irish, it's the EU anyway :)

> > 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 ...
> 

Well, I've read about those new decisions. I'm not sure I've understand
everything though. But from what I've understood, such a patent wouldn't
be legal in Europe.

> > 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.
> 

Yes, I get your point. The problem is that it's (virtually ?) impossible
to create software without being in contradiction with one or more wacky
US software patents. So, if those companies really want to target the US
market too, they've almost already lost the battle if they don't want to
pay for patents. And, of course, it's not even worth talking about Free
Software, which, IMO, is already dead (or illegal) in this part of the
world if laws don't change.

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