On Sun, Sep 19, 2004 at 10:59:36AM -0400, Brian Thomas Sniffen wrote: > somewhat. In a patent case, the property right to the patent existed > before the "original" software was ever written. For the person who > wrote the software *after* the invention was patented to try to > blackmail the inventor is horrible[1]. This is legal fiction, and sloppy legal fiction at that. -- Raul