[ILUG] ``We won't kill you unless we have to'' (patents)

[Brian Foster]

 ``We won't kill you unless we have to

       Jack Schofield
       Thursday August 12, 2004
       The Guardian

     At last week's LinuxWorld show in San Francisco,
     IBM vice president Nick Donofrio responded to the
     threat to open source/free software [ ... ]

     The issue is software patents.  America has them, and
     Europe could get more of them --- unless the German,
     British, French and other governments wake up to the
     stupidity of what they are trying to do.

     The problem is that "software patents" don't protect
     programs --- that's done by copyright --- they protect
     ideas and methods.  Every substantial program is made
     up of thousands of ideas and methods, and if many of
     these are patented, it becomes almost impossible to
     write open source software.''

 http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,1280766,00.html

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