[linux-audio-dev] EU software patents?

[Frederick Gleason]

On Wednesday 24 September 2003 05:59, Juhana Sadeharju wrote:

> They were more conserned about how companies'
> money escapes from research and development to the patent lawyers
> when companies *have to* start patenting. (It looks like professional
> politicians do not realize that nobody forces to patent anything.)

Certainly, nobody is "forced" to take out a patent, in the sense that there is 
no *legally* compelling reason to do so.  However, if you are operating in a 
business envrionment where your competitors routinely patent techniques, the 
result will be that you will end up having to do so as well, if only to 
protect your own work from being co-opted by others and then denied to you on 
the basis of some bogus patent claim.  That being the case, the concerns 
expressed about funds "escaping" to attorneys sound pretty much on the mark.  
It'd be a bonanza for patent lawyers.

Juhana, would you happen to have any pointers to the media coverage on this?  
It's been a non-issue in the North American media.

Cheers!


|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Frederick F. Gleason, Jr. | Director of Broadcast Software Development  |
|     Salem Radio Labs      |       http://www.salemradiolabs.com/        |
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|   It is one thing to praise discipline, and another to submit to it.    |
|                                          -- Cervantes                   |
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