Quote from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3422853.stm
You have to consider engineers today spend their entire careers combining other people's intellectual property. And every small and medium sized enterprise is at risk regarding software patenting. That is a problem in Europe, because representatives to the European Parliament are pushing very hard for software patenting that would indeed shut out all small and medium businesses from the software development business, not just open source. We're looking at a future where only the very largest companies will be able to implement software, and it will technically be illegal for other people to do so. That's a very, very bad situation developing. We must do something so that there is reason for people to innovate, there is reason for people to invent, but that companies can execute without this constant fear that we will be sued into the ground regarding software patenting. ######## end of quote We may be facing a future where evidence of thinking thoughts that have been patented by others will be a crime. Can you imaging what the world would be if Pythagoras (or some group) had patented his theorem? If these forces that want to convert the thought world into a bazaar succeed, we may be facing a world darker than the worst nightmare. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
