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Re: Not-so-mass bug filing for the patented IDEA algorithm



Am 2007-04-10 13:51:13, schrieb Neil Williams:
> IANAL, but being open source, a patent lawyer would probably try to
> claim that distributing the code ALLOWS the infringement of the patent
> as if that makes Debian complicit in the infringement. Whether the code
> actually does include an implementation of the patented algorithm
> hasn't been confirmed here - it could just be a linkage.

Hmmm, Debian BINARIES do not use the code so it is the $USER choice
to download the source and enable it, WHICH he/she can do it legal
IF he/she has obtained an INDIVIDUAL LICENSE from the PATENT OWNER.

So I think, Distributing the Source for it but not compiling it
into the binries should be OK.

Note: I have a customer which need a functionality in one of the
      Debian packages which I had only to enable and rebuild the
      package (I have failed to get the ORIGINAL source from
      upstream running on Debian).  Since my customer HAS a legal
      licence, he was realy happy about the simple migration.

In my eyes, such source codes should be distributed but not
enabled by default.

Thanks, Greetings and nice Day
    Michelle Konzack
    Systemadministrator
    Tamay Dogan Network
    Debian GNU/Linux Consultant


-- 
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