Re: XMMS and the new MP3 patent terms
Tom Cook <tom.cook@adelaide.edu.au> writes:
> Seriously, folks, as someone (maybe even Paul) has pointed out, you
> don't see Adobe Photoshop in non-free, so if someone owns a legitimate
> patent on MP3 then that probably doesn't belong in non-free, either.
That's not a good analogy, since it conflates patents and copyright.
(And what good would Photoshop be on a Linux box, anyway?)
Much more on point are things using LZW or other algorithms patented
in the US and not elsewhere. There was no problem with distributing
them from a location they weren't patented, even though there was
nothing preventing US users from downloading that software. What's
the essential difference between hosting those in a country it wasn't
patented, and hosting this in a country where it's not patented.
Seems there's only a difference of degree.
--
Alan Shutko <ats@acm.org> - In a variety of flavors!
It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.
Reply to: