Groklaw Rants On Software Patents

LMCBoy writes "Groklaw has the story of Kodak v. Sun (mentioned on Slashdot already), which PJ calls 'Exhibit A' in the case against software patents. Her analysis of Kodak v. Sun, and the larger issue of software patents, is excellent. Bottom line: the software patent 'cold war' provides no benefits to anyone, and will inevitably make the game of software development impossible for anyone to play."

Comments

flipflopflipflop...pop.

[poptones]

Mkay, lemme see if I get this: linux is supposed to be "of the people, for the people" and all that... right? I mean, it is, at its core, about freedom with one of those BIG F's... right?

You jest... but consider: I can hit a repository and download decss for virtually any distribution I want, and all I need to do is hit a search engine to find it. So... what's the plan? Outlaw search engines? Ban them from carrying lists of files? Or are we going to commandeer the entire internet, lock it up in a vault, and throw away the key?

I'm really sick of these chicken little rants. I like groklaw and I actually have a good bit of respect for pj and crew (pj crew?) but this is absurd even from them - or maybe especially from them.

So, whoopdeefuck, patents lock up corporations and cause them to waste money fighting each other - great! Let the lawyers eat while the system fights itself.

These arguments are all nonsensical. Like the folks who bitch all the time about not being able to play Madonna and Britney on their internet stations for free because the record companies have that content all locked up - but insist "the internet is the future" and "one day" we'll all be able to be our own publishers. Just not now... because there's no money in it.

Fuck that. Fuck you all who insist on co-opting the system while you talk big about overthrowing it. The internet is a revolution, but if you think you're part of that revolution because you share pop songs for free, bootleg commercial software and bitch about how "the man" is keeping you down, you ain't part of that solution - you're just another part of the problem... and doomed to share the fate of "the system."

wow, that is REALLY squinting

[poptones]

between the lines. I never mentioned p2p in that "rant" for a very good reason. Nor did I rebuke decss. In fact, it would appear you completely missed everything I actually said. I admit that's a danger from that sort of post, but still.. you could at least try.

Since you didn't get it I'll make it easy: patents (like copyrights) DO NOT HARM INNOVATION. If you want to produce art you damn well can - and you can distribute it your heart's content, all because of this wonderful invention of communications. In fact, you can even "sample" all you like and there's little those mean and nasty corporations can do about it if your work becomes popular.

Patents and copyrights make it harder to profit in the corporate world. That's an entirely different argument, and one for which a great many of us do NOT harbor the least bit of sympathy. If you want to program, all you need do is pick a project to contribute to - meanwhile those big mean and evil corporations might even use a bit of that brainpower of yours as motivation to cut you a paycheck. If you want to sell or support computers, they're cheaper than ever now thanks to mass production (by those evil corporations) and some fantastic free software. If you want to make and sell music, fucking well do it - and if you want to run a radio station, then walk the walk and you got nothing to bitch about when you talk the talk - not many indie artists are going to turn down the chance for radioplay even if it's just a small internet station.

Boohoo, IP laws make it harder for corporations to profit, and harder for small players to tie up even more in the system that never should have been in the first place... waaaah, cry me a fucking river.