[1] : The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03)

software patent
     
         a patent intended to prevent others from using some
        programming technique.
     
        there have been several infamous patents for software
        techniques which most experienced programmers would consider
        fundamental or trivial, such as the idea of using
        exclusive-or to plot a cursor on a bitmap display.  the
        spread of software patents could stifle innovation and make
        programming much harder because programmers would have to
        worry about patents when designing or choosing algorithms.
     
        there are over ten thousand software patents in the us, and
        several thousand more are issued each year.  each one may be
        owned by, or could be bought by, a grasping company whose
        lawyers carefully plan to attack people at their most
        vulnerable moments.  of course, they couch the threat as a
        "reasonable offer" to save you miserable years in court.
        "divide and conquer" is the watchword: pursue one group at a
        time, while advising the rest of us to relax because we are in
        no danger today.
     
        compuserve developed the gif format for graphical images
        many years ago, not knowing about unisys's 1985 patent
        covering the lzw data compression algorithm used in gif.
        gif was subsequently adopted widely on the internet.  in
        1994 unisys threatened to sue compuserve, forcing them to
        impose a sublicensing agreement for gif on their users.
        compuserve users can accept this agreement now, or face unisys
        later on their own.  the rest of us don't have a choice -- we
        get to face unisys when they decide it's our turn.  so much
        trouble from just one software patent.
     
        patents in the uk can't describe algorithms or mathematical
        methods.
     
        see also lpf, software law.
     
        patent search
        http://sunsite.unc.edu/patents/intropat.html.
     
        1995-01-06
     
     
see also:
exclusive-or bitmap display algorithm gif unisys lzw 
internet lpf software law lt;patent searchgt; 

Software >> S Words
Software, definition of term: Software
software_pag1.html

Patent >> P Words
Patent, definition of term: Patent
patent_pag1.html

Software Life-C >> S Words
Software Life-C, definition of term: Software Life-C
software+life-c_pag1.html

Software Produc >> S Words
Software Produc, definition of term: Software Produc
software+produc_pag1.html

Software Metric >> S Words
Software Metric, definition of term: Software Metric
software+metric_pag1.html

Software Law >> S Words
Software Law, definition of term: Software Law
software+law_pag1.html

Software Piracy >> S Words
Software Piracy, definition of term: Software Piracy
software+piracy_pag1.html

Software Engine >> S Words
Software Engine, definition of term: Software Engine
software+engine_pag1.html

Software Engine >> S Words
Software Engine, definition of term: Software Engine
software+engine_pag1.html

Patent Leather >> P Words
Patent Leather, definition of term: Patent Leather
patent+leather_pag1.html

Page 1 2 Next