Re: Patent clauses in licenses

[Matthew Garrett <mgarrett@chiark.greenend.org.uk>]

John Hasler <john@dhh.gt.org> wrote:
> Michael Poole writes:
>> Company B's "defensive" claims also affect all other users of the
>> original software -- now that they attempt to enforce their patent
>> rights, no other users can assume themselves to be safe.
> 
> Why do you assume that company B's claims must have to do with the original
> software, or even with software at all?

I'd certainly feel that licenses that attempt to restrict non-software
patent action ought to be non-free. I don't see any way that a license
that enforced this would be helping free software.

-- 
Matthew Garrett | mjg59-chiark.mail.debian.project@srcf.ucam.org