RE: [Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org>] Re: Debian & BSD concerns

[Bruce Sass <bsass@bms.freenet.edmonton.ab.ca>]

I can not think of any reason why free software could not be patent, 
but then I'm not a lawyer either. 

Since a patent is used to grant control of an invention to some party,
it should probably be viewed with suspicion - the whole free software
movement seems to be predicated on giving up control.

Two questions bother me.

Could the license of patent software be changed, 
or would that require a new patent?

Could a license be so free as to abrogate the rights conferred upon the
patent holder by the patent? 


- Bruce

-- 
On Thu, 11 Mar 1999, Brimhall, GeoffreyX L wrote:

> This brings up an interesting point:
> 
> Can free software be patented, or are the two concepts mutually exclusize.
> It sounds like they are: patenting protects the "concept" of the software,
> and the "free software" part is the licensing on the patented software.
> 
> So free software could be patented.