Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!mips!apple!portal!cup.portal.com!ts
From: ts@cup.portal.com (Tim W Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: Apple's FCC request
Message-ID: <41221@cup.portal.com>
Date: 13 Apr 91 02:01:07 GMT
References: <689.security.eff@pro-angmar>
  <1991Apr9.231716.20506@hellgate.utah.edu> <41134@cup.portal.com>
  <1991Apr10.123757.24797@hellgate.utah.edu>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 19

> What do you think about software patents?

There is a discussion going on in misc.legal on this very topic.
I have a rather long post over there about what I think of them.
The subject line is something like "RSA and patents" or something
like that ("RSA" is definitely in the title, and I think it's the
only discussion with that in the title, so it should be easy to
find if it has not expired).

My position on software patents is basically that the patent
office and CCPA are letting companies get by with patents that
are *way* to general.  In my misc.legal postings, I give examples
of what I consider to be reasonable software patents (based on
combinations of several that I've been involved with from companies
that actually applied for patents and only claimed very narrow
things in very specific areas of software - I know, it's hard to
believe, but reasonable companies actually do exist!).

						Tim Smith