Re: Software patents and Debian

[Nathanael Nerode <neroden@fastmail.fm>]

Weakish Jiang wrote:

> 
> 
> Bas Wijnen wrote:
> 
>  I thought we didn't care
>> about them except if they were actively enforced, because it's completely
>> impossible to avoid all patented software, considering the junk that gets
>> patented.
>>
> Unless the patent is licensed for everyone's free use or not licensed at
> all, it won't conform to the DFSG, even if it is not actively enforced.

However, given the prevelance of patents which are clearly invalid (but
which would take extensive work to get invalidated -- in the US the Federal
Circuit Court of Appeals has been issuing incorrect pro-patent rulings
in violation of precedent for about 20 years, and there's currently a
Supreme Court case pending to try to stop them), Debian would be able to
distribute nothing if it respected all of these clearly invalid "patents".

Hell, xor is patented.

-- 
Nathanael Nerode  <neroden@fastmail.fm>

Bush admitted to violating FISA and said he was proud of it.
So why isn't he in prison yet?...