dennis roberts wrote:
>
> just think about all the software packages ... and what they would HAVE (or
> HAD) to do if these routines were "patented" ...
>
> sure, i see "inventing" some algorithm as being a highly creative act and
> usually, if it is of value, the person(s) developing it will gain fame (ha
> ha) and some pr ... but, not quite in the same genre of developing a
> process for extracting some enzyme from a substance ... using a particular
> piece of equipment specially developed for that purpose
>
> i hope we don't see a trend IN this direction ...
If it so happens that while I am in the employ of a certain company, I
invent some new algorithm, then my company has a vested interest in
making sure that the algorithm remains its property and that no one
else uses it, especially a competitor. Thus, it is advantageous for my
employer to patent such inventions. In this view, mathematical
inventions are no different than mechanical, chemical or other
inventions.
--
Paige Miller
Eastman Kodak Company
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"It's nothing until I call it!" -- Bill Klem, NL Umpire
"Those black-eyed peas tasted all right to me" -- Dixie Chicks
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