Re: LZW patented file left in .orig.tar source package?

[Richard Braakman <dark@xs4all.nl>]

On Wed, Oct 23, 2002 at 05:35:36PM -0500, Jeff Licquia wrote:
> "not a staple article or commodity of commerce suitable for substantial
> noninfringing use"

It also says "constituting a material part of the invention".  Presumably
material means "significant" here?

I'd say that source code is much more like a *blueprint* for a machine
than like an actual machine.  Compiled code would be a material part
of the invention; source code is just a description of how to make
that code.

Of course, I'm not a lawyer either.

Fortunately this particular problem will go away next summer :)
(LZW patent expiration)

Richard Braakman