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Freedom of Speech in Software

Posted by michael on from the if-only dept.

akpoff writes " I've been struggling with the question 'what's wrong with software patents' but haven't been able to find the right words. I was over at John Gilmore's website and found a link to John Salin's 'Freedom of Speech in Software' letter to the USPTO back in 1991! This is one of the best explanations I've seen. He reminds us that computer programs are essentially like literature or music -- they are expressions of ideas. Just because they run on a computer doesn't make them uniquely different from other creative mediums. We should think player piano (patentable) vs the music (copyrightable but not patentable) it plays. Europeans -- put this letter into the hands of your MEPs!"

5 of 250 comments (clear)

  1. GNAA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    GAY NIGGERS OWN YOU FAGGOTS

  2. There Should Be No Patents, At All! by dupper · · Score: -1, Troll
    Books, software, cars, people, it's all just a random collection of katakana characters in the Matrix.

    Alternately: 'Cause we all belong to each other, man. It's all like, whoa. *cough* *cough*

  3. patents shouldn't be illegal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    they are funny LOL

  4. the 'fat boy' is singing.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    & the corepirate nazis' puppets are chaNTing/refraining a chorus of 'wegottem', it's time again to reflect on the cluelessness that greed/fear/ego based 'training' leaves the evile wons with.

    another round of phonIE ?pr? scriptdead 'the wwworld is safe from those awful 'hackers' again' MuSt be on order?

    our lines are constantly busy, again, (talk about the feast/famine sindrone) from folks calling to have their systems disinfactdead from the whoreabull BugWear(tm) blight. leaves won to wonder, just how many 'fat boys' might there be, &/or, why anybody would want to pay to have that fauxking crud(tm) on their systems to begin with? we think that they were simply duped buy false advertising, bribery, coercion, etc...

    lookout bullow. the daze of the whoreabull infactdead payper liesense stock markup fraud hostage taking ?pr? ?firm? FUDgePeddlers are #ed.

    do consider having yOUR system(s) disinfactdead (just in case there's any more 'fat boys' with text editors out there), so as not to be distracted from the main task, which is planet/population rescue, as the lights come up.

    EVERYTHING that the georgewellian corepirate nazi execrable/walking dead do, is designed (buy ?pr? ?firm? deception), to cause you to take yOUR eye off the ball.

    thanks to you, it's not working very well anymore.

    consult with/trust in yOUR creator. more breathing. vote with (what's left in) yOUR wallet. seek out others of non-aggressive/positive behaviours/intentions. that's the spirit.

    pay no heed/money to the greed/fear based ?pr? ?firm? generated mindphukings of the walking dead.

    good work so far. there's still much to be done. see you there. tell 'em robbIE? you're not won of them?

    we see va lairIE's whoreabull pateNTdead PostBlock(tm) devise is still not working, yet.

  5. PARENT IS A GOATSE.CX LINK! MOD DOWN! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    n/t