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The Republic of Korea has information processing patents?

The Wild Fox maintainer seems to think so.

http://en.swpat.org/wiki/South_Korea

It's already there. AIPLA: South Korea states that information-processing apparatus claims such as "a computer system that does task X by performing steps A, B, and C" are valid. In the case of a video codec patent, X is "prepare video for transmission through a digital channel" for an encoder or "receive video transmitted through a digital channel" for a decoder, and A, B, and C describe a block diagram of the codec.

if you can't patent maths then why should you be able to patent software as it's nothing more than maths.

Well, according to this friend-of-the-court brief, filed by the American Intellectual Property Law Association earlier in this case, citing Diamond v. Diehr, "laws of nature, natural phenomena, and abstract ideas alone are not patentable...'an application of a law of nature or mathematical formula to a known structure or process may well be deserving of patent protection.'" p. 8. Perhaps it was a mistake for opponents of software patents to refer to software works as "applications."

Allow me to point you in th right direction. Expressing the reasons that US and International Copyrights protect a creator of Intelectual Property from unliscened and unwarranted sales would take many hours without the all parties having extensive knowledge of the many laws and acts involved.

First look at the US Copyright law:
http://www.copyright.gov/title17/

Then take a look at the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999 and the Intellectual Property and High Technology Technical Amendments Acts of 2001 and 2002:
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/dcom/olia/aipa/in dex.htm

Both of these site contain alot of technical and legal information. There are many sites devoted to IP both in the US and internationaly:
http://www.wipo.int/ and http://www.aipla.org/ are just a couple.

Once you have a good understanding of Intellectual Property law read over the WoW End User License Agreement and Terms of Use both of which I have quoted else where in this thread: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/legal/eula.html
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/legal/termsofuse.ht ml

Pay Close attention to EULA Section 3 and 13 (which states you agree to the laws of the state of California) and TOU section 2 subsection H, Section 7 and Section 10.

That should clarify the situation. If you need more information feel free to ask questions and, time permiting I will look up specific case law. I would also suggest contact a legal profesional in your area who is familiar with US Intellectual Property law.

My anchor tag was flawless. Slashdot is broken.
link

Not only does USPTO not receive any tax money, since 1992 much of the money collected in fees by USPTO has not been available to it. From fiscal 1992 through fiscal 2001, more than $675 million has been diverted. Because of the economic damage cause by invalid patents, this is no way to save money. USPTO's ability to conduct meaningful examinations is already compromised. Last year, USPTO Director Q. Todd Dickinson warned of an imminent "reduction in patent quality" resulting from yet another inadequate budget.
Inadequate USPTO budgets benefit only one group of people -- those who get invalid patents. Everyone else suffers. Fund USPTO so that it can afford to attract and retain highly skilled examiners, as well as maintain a world-class library of international patents, journals, catalogs, and other information. A patent office without full funding is the economic equivalent of a fully loaded B-52 bomber with no maps, no compass, and an untrained navigator.

2. Stop and reverse patentability creep

Would the economy be better off if Bruce Springsteen were allowed to patent rhyming "back" and "Cadillac" -- and sue any other songwriter who did so, even if the new song was nothing like "Pink Cadillac?" Would the economy be better off if the Green Bay Packers were allowed to patent the best defense against a particular play, and sue any team that used that defense against them?
Would the economy be better off if a high-priced defense lawyer were able to patent the use of a legal argument, and sue any other defense lawyer who used it on behalf of his client?
Clearly, the answer to all three questions is no. We're all better off when we can hear new songs, watch good football games, and get a fair trial without getting several patent licenses a day. Unfortunately, several court decisions in the 1980s and 1990s have resulted in the patentabilty of mathematical algorithms and of business methods, which is for programmers just as ludicrous as the above three examples.
Software and business methods patents are examples of "patentabilty creep" in action. Federal judges, legislating from the bench, are expanding the scope of patentable content to not only overwhelm USPTO, but also to do grievous economic harm.

3. Fix USPTO's incentive system to reward quality, not quantity

The Department of Commerce should populate USPTO's advisory committee with members from outside the patent bar, with a view to helping USPTO work toward the economic health of the nation as a whole and not for any special interest group. Employee incentive programs within USPTO should be tied to patent quality, not quantity.

But you should definately check with the American Intellectual Property Law Association, they're your best bet for solid IP info (which slashdot isn't.)

No, yours is a STUPID COMMENT. How do you know this is a copyright issue alone? ANYTIME you deal with software IP issues, you have to worry about copyright, trade secrets, and patents, along with confidentiality and other contractual problems. NOWHERE in the original post did it say "copyright" - it said "IP issues." IP issues are much broader than copyright.

And for your continuing education, the AIPLA does break it down further. Become a member and they will gladly send you a copy of the survey. They will also gladly sell you a copy also if you don't want to join. I'd send you a photocopy of my copy, but it is copyrighted. Guess you'll have to get your own.

No, yours is a STUPID COMMENT. How do you know this is a copyright issue alone? ANYTIME you deal with software IP issues, you have to worry about copyright, trade secrets, and patents, along with confidentiality and other contractual problems. NOWHERE in the original post did it say "copyright" - it said "IP issues." IP issues are much broader than copyright.

And for your continuing education, the AIPLA does break it down further. Become a member and they will gladly send you a copy of the survey. They will also gladly sell you a copy also if you don't want to join. I'd send you a photocopy of my copy, but it is copyrighted. Guess you'll have to get your own.