Re: Question about patent notice in copyright header of package exempi

[Ben Finney <bignose+hates-spam@benfinney.id.au>]

Michael Biebl <biebl@debian.org> writes:

> // ====================================================================
> // Copyright 2002-2005 Adobe Systems Incorporated
> // All Rights Reserved.
> //
> // NOTICE:  Adobe permits you to use, modify, and distribute this file
> // in accordance with the terms
> // of the Adobe license agreement accompanying it.
> //
> // Adobe patent application tracking #P435, entitled 'Unique markers to
> // simplify embedding data of
> // one format in a file with a different format', inventors: Sean
> // Parent, Greg Gilley.
> // =====================================================================
> 
> The interesting part is the second half of the header about the
> patent application. I was wondering if this poses any problems (in
> the future) for Debian to distribute this software. TBH I don't
> really understand how to interpret this sentence.

It's very awkwardly worded, but I believe it says nothing more than
"patent foo, described thus, was invented by these people". That is,
it makes no claim other than the existence of a patent and who is
credited thereby.

-- 
 \          "When we call others dogmatic, what we really object to is |
  `\        their holding dogmas that are different from our own."  -- |
_o__)                                                   Charles Issawi |
Ben Finney