Greg Ewing schrieb: > That can't be right, because it would mean that > anyone who runs a program that contains a > patented algorithm, even one bought or otherwise > obtained from someone else, would need to > individually negotiate a licence with the > patent owner. That clearly doesn't happen.
No, that isn't necessary. If you buy a patented screwdriver, and the maker of the screwdriver isn't the patent owner but has an appropriate license, you don't need to negotiate with the patent owner to use the screwdriver. Same with software patents: whoever sold you the software should have negotiated a transferable license that allows use of the algorithm in this software; transfer of the license would likely be bound to usage within this product. So this doesn't get completely OT: The IDEA algorithm is licensed free of charge for non-commercial use (I believe to anybody, ask the patent owner if uncertain); commercial users need to buy a license (I would expect that transferable licenses are also available for sale). Regards, Martin _______________________________________________ Python-Dev mailing list Python-Dev@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-dev Unsubscribe: http://mail.python.org/mailman/options/python-dev/archive%40mail-archive.com
