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From: yow@riddler.Berkeley.EDU (Billy Yow 283-4051)
Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss,comp.misc
Subject: Re: hayes lawsuit
Message-ID: <1991May21.090027@riddler.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 21 May 91 14:00:27 GMT
References: <1991May17.214226.10776@m.cs.uiuc.edu> <7e19222w164w@mantis.co.uk>
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mathew@mantis.co.uk (CNEWS MUST DIE!) writes:
>Unfortunately, quite what is a reasonable amount of payment is open to
>debate. Also, there would be problems with free software; but then, software
>which costs 5 cents in patent payments is as near to free as makes no
>difference to most people.

And who is going to do the accounting for all of those 5 cents patent
payments.  The person who gives the software to the public domain?  Or
will XYZ company come after the BBS and FTP sites that have copies of
the public domain software that infringes of their patent and demand
payment?  

A shareware or public domain program (that infringed) COULD NOT BE
COPIED because the making of a copy would then require a patent payment
if the copy was given away.  

And what about BACKUPs of patented software do they infringe?

					Bill Yow
					yow@sweetpea.jsc.nasa.gov

My opinions are my own!