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From: mazlack@ucbernie.BERKELEY.EDU (Lawrence J. &)
Newsgroups: net.cog-eng
Subject: Re: Apple patents
Message-ID: <10691@ucbvax.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 17-Oct-85 15:21:28 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.10691
Posted: Thu Oct 17 15:21:28 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 19-Oct-85 04:38:00 EDT
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Reply-To: mazlack@ucbernie.UUCP (Lawrence J. Mazlack)
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
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>>which features Apple has patented.  Does anyone know more specifics?  
>>
>>--Pat Billingsley
>
>The articles I've seen I'm sure mentioned copyright, not patent.
>	-mark

Even if someone had mentioned patents, I rather doubt that this could be the
case.  I believe that only one or two programs have ever been successfully
patented.  The reason being that patents only apply to physical devices.
Whereas a program is an algorithm or an idea and as such is not patentable.
The counter-argument to this (an it is a legal looser) is that a program
constructs a new, virtual machine and it is this virtual machine which is
then patentable.

You cannot patent an idea.  If you could, discovers of new laws of nature could
then patent the law and prevent others from using it.
  ...Larry Mazlack