Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!ukc!mucs!liv-cs!liv!kpurcell
From: KPURCELL@LIVERPOOL.AC.UK
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: New Macintosh Strategy
Message-ID: <90313.033458KPURCELL@LIVERPOOL.AC.UK>
Date: 9 Nov 90 03:34:58 GMT
References: <306@cti1.UUCP> <77800060@m.cs.uiuc.edu>
Organization: University of Liverpool
Lines: 52

In article <77800060@m.cs.uiuc.edu>, gillies@m.cs.uiuc.edu says:
>
>> Bzzt!  Wrong answer!
>>
>> Patents ARE issued for computer algorithms.
>>
>> Parts of the Mac toolbox ARE patented.  Example: "Regions" (by Bill
>> Atkinson).  Look it up.
>
>Go directly to Jail, do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars (or a
>law degree).  Apparently, you don't know the difference between a
>computer algorithm, and the expression of the algorithm in a ROM.  See
>the April 1990 and August 1990 issues of IEEE Micro to learn the
>difference.
[...]

There are some companies who certainly believe they have a patent on an
*algorithm*. The best example is the LZW (yes, the one used in Stuffit)
which is patented by Unisys -- and they are demanding money from people
who are using it (like $20,000 per product). And it certainly looks like
they're trying to patent and algorithm (go and read the patent if you
disagree, then we'll argue. I've already done it :-)

[...]
>Also, it doesn't really matter WHAT the patent office issues, but WHAT
>is upheld in a court challenge.  According to the April IEEE Micro
>issue, the supreme court has never upheld a patent on an algorithm.

This is again true. And I hope that patents on algorithms are never upheld
in Court. The original ruling which allowed all these applications to slip
through is a result of somebody patenting a process that used a computer to
control a plant. We are now in desperate need of one of these things being
challenged (for you old hackers out there, did you know that the idea of
putting a cursor and screen by XORing it with the screen bits is patented!
Such an innovative solution :-)

For those that want to know more, read Richard Stallman's articles: "On
Software Patents" and "On User Interface Copyright". RMS doesn't like
Apples so keep your head down (something to do with a user interface
copyright suit ...). You can get these papers by anonymous ftp from
prep.ai.mit.edu.

If you're worried about User Interface copyright and software patents (if you
write software you should be worried) join The League for Programming Freedom.
Again see the papers for more details.

Kevin

Kevin Purcell          | kpurcell@liverpool.ac.uk  -or-  kgp@cxa.dl.ac.uk
Surface Science,       |
Liverpool University   | There is now a *Twin Peaks* distribution list for
Liverpool L69 3BX      | UK Peak Freaks. Mail me for details ....