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From: milgr@teapot.prime.COM (Marc Milgram)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: UNIX-WIZARDS Digest  V10#100
Message-ID: <727@primerd.PRIME.COM>
Date: 30 Jul 90 15:17:54 GMT
References: <24002@adm.BRL.MIL>
Sender: news@primerd.PRIME.COM
Reply-To: milgr@teapot.prime.COM (Marc Milgram)
Lines: 22

In article <24002@adm.BRL.MIL>, SYKLB%NASAGISS.BITNET@cunyvm.cuny.edu (
Ken Bell) writes:
|>> From: Michael Rowan <mtr@geech.ai.mit.edu>
|>> Subject: Patents

|>> Software can be easily and cheaply copied.
|>
|>So can the books on the "bestseller" lists.  But not legally :-(

But this is covered by copyright law, not patent law.  Copyrights as applied
to books (and other written text) prevents people from copying text, but not
copying ideas.

An algorithm is an Idea.  If an algorithm is not patented, anyone can use
the algorithm (though, they he not duplicate the code from a copywritten
program).

I believe this was discussed on comp.risks a while back.


Marc Milgram           I speak for myself.
milgr@teapot.prime.com