On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 15:10:10 +0800, Ricky <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Disagree. The algorithm is only a part of the total picture. Yes they look > like algorithms but consider the investment in man-hours, equipment and > training to develop software. What is being patented is the result of a > significant investment in resources. Patents protect this investment from > being exploited by others who did not make a similar investment. What is > important is the financial impact on the inventor, not the nature of the > invention.
I disagree further. The algorithms are the core parts of software. Without algorithms your "software" wouldn't even exist. Patenting software would be similar to " I'm patenting the statement '1+1=2' and I alone would have exclusive use over that statement unless you pay" as software is but mere aggregation of algorithms translated into programming language. Unless you can find an alternate means of expressing 2 is the sum of 1 and 1 in hindu arabic notation then I guess you're entitled to a patent. > The same applies to all other forms invention. Drugs may be based on plants > picked from a rainforest but the pharmaceutical firm had to go through a > large investment of resources to turn this into a practical product. Even the > lightbulb - a truly revolutionary product - required many hours of investment > at Edison's laboratory. Do note that even if Edison did patent the incandescent bulb, it didn't stifle innovation of the flourescent lamps as the core science behind illumination through the use of electricity wasn't patented. Try reversing it - patent the science - and there goes innovation. The same is similar with patenting software - essentially you'd be patenting the math (the IDEA) behind software. Patenting the science behind software would really cripple innovation in the software field. > So whereas patents protect ideas, the investment in formulating the idea is > what is being protected, not the idea itself. Paolo Alexis Falcone [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Philippine Linux Users' Group (PLUG) Mailing List [email protected] (#PLUG @ irc.free.net.ph) Official Website: http://plug.linux.org.ph Searchable Archives: http://marc.free.net.ph . To leave, go to http://lists.q-linux.com/mailman/listinfo/plug . Are you a Linux newbie? To join the newbie list, go to http://lists.q-linux.com/mailman/listinfo/ph-linux-newbie
