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Re: [LUG] If this wasn't so dangerous, you'd laugh.

 

On Friday 11 February 2005 9:33 am, Henry Bremridge wrote:
Once someone comes up with a workable idea: antibiotics, airplanes. Then
I agree they need a monopoly to allow them to develop their idea and
obtain the rewards. (Lets face it, a drug is "software" for combatting a
disease: but one which cost about $1bn to develop and launch on to the
market.)

Now you're in my world - pharmacist by trade, I'm well aware of drugs and 
patents. I understand your analogy but there are flaws. e.g. by removing a 
single oxygen atom from a molecule, you get a whole new patent. Try that with 
software - remove a single whitespace character and it doesn't infringe??? 
Yes, please!

I would have thought therefore that the answer is that with some
patents, the barrier to the grant of the patent was made considerably
higher

That is what we want to achieve.

-- 

Neil Williams
=============
http://www.dcglug.org.uk/
http://www.nosoftwarepatents.com/
http://sourceforge.net/projects/isbnsearch/
http://www.neil.williamsleesmill.me.uk/
http://www.biglumber.com/x/web?qs=0x8801094A28BCB3E3

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