Xref: utzoo gnu.misc.discuss:3173 comp.misc:12629 comp.dcom.modems:9852 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!ucbvax!agate!janus.Berkeley.EDU!jbuck From: jbuck@janus.Berkeley.EDU (Joe Buck) Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss,comp.misc,comp.dcom.modems Subject: Re: hayes lawsuit Message-ID: <1991May20.185108.20318@agate.berkeley.edu> Date: 20 May 91 18:51:08 GMT References: <14833@ulysses.att.com> <1991May20.023251.142@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> Sender: root@agate.berkeley.edu (Charlie Root) Distribution: usa Organization: U.C. Berkeley Lines: 23 In article <1991May20.023251.142@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> gsh7w@astsun.astro.Virginia.EDU (Greg Hennessy) writes: >In article <14833@ulysses.att.com> smb@ulysses.att.com (Steven Bellovin) writes: >#The fundamental question we have to answer is this: if software >#patents are to be disallowed, what alternative mechanism would you >#propose to encourage people to publish new algorithms? > >Those in academia already have incentive. Publishing advances your >career. Not only that, but Steven Bellovin gives RSA as an example, and the names that appear on the relevant patents are those of college professors, who, as Greg Hennessy points out, did the research to advance their careers. Unfortunately, some leading institutions have changed their policies in recent years; instead of attempting to spread their discoveries far and wide, secure in the knowledge that this will enhance their reputations, attract new talent and lots of research money, instead more and more of them are attempting to license their discoveries, withholding it from publication, in an attempt to squeeze the last dollar out of it. -- -- Joe Buck jbuck@janus.berkeley.edu {uunet,ucbvax}!janus.berkeley.edu!jbuck