Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!bloom-beacon!dont-send-mail-to-path-lines From: rws@expo.lcs.mit.EDU (Bob Scheifler) Newsgroups: comp.windows.x Subject: Re: AT&T Claims patent on part of MIT's X11 server. Message-ID: <9102251335.AA12359@expire.lcs.mit.edu> Date: 25 Feb 91 13:35:45 GMT References: Sender: daemon@athena.mit.edu (Mr Background) Organization: The Internet Lines: 27 I know it's not the policy of this list's maintainers to make a practice of answering general questions, for lack of time, More of a practical necessity than a policy. but perhaps this backing store issue warrants some kind of statement. It's not obvious to me that there's much to be gained from a statement or a discussion on this list. If you are interested in the specifics of the patent, then I suggest you obtain a copy, read it, and come up with your own interpretation of what it says, rather than relying on the interpretation and/or guess-work of others. If you believe you understand the patent and you have real documentation to invalidate specific claims made in the patent, there are people who would be interested in obtaining it. If you would like to become active in the general issue of software patents, there are organizations you can join. At the directon of Congress, the Office of Technology Assessment is currently conducting a study specifically directed at software intellectual property policies, "Computer Software and Intellectual Property: Meeting the Challenges of Technological Change and Global Competition". If you believe you can contribute to their study, I can tell you who to contat. It might be helpful if one of the consortium leader-types could say whether they have seen the patent Yes, of course.