Date: 21 Dec 2000 15:04:11 +0100 From: Peter Mutsaers <peter@mutsaers.com> To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Subject: Re: FreeBSD vs Linux, Solaris, and NT Message-ID: <87itod98h0.fsf@mutsaers.com> In-Reply-To: babkin@bellatlantic.net's message of "21 Dec 2000 00:28:42 %2B0000" References: <5.0.0.25.1.20001220163018.01ada020_pop3.i4free.co.nz@ns.sol.net> <3A414EA2.46B51BEC_bellatlantic.net@ns.sol.net>
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>> "babkin" =3D=3D babkin <babkin@bellatlantic.net> writes:
babkin> Sorry for a stupid question but why would not they patent
babkin> this protocol then ? For example, PostScript is patented
babkin> by Adobe and the only reason everyone is able to use it is
babkin> that Adobe had explicitly granted this right to the
babkin> public.
I don't think this is possible worldwide. In Europe, software
patents do not exist and cannot be granted. There was an attempt to
change this lately, but (luckily) it failed for the time being. The
European Commision was convinced by open source advocates that
software patents are bad. At least it made them think twice and
postpone the process.
The only thing you can protect is the implementation (the program,
in this case to read/write the protocol) under copyright.
Thus 'anyone' could learn the protocol from looking at the driver
sourcecode and then implement a drop-in replacement for the card
hardware.
As others have said, given the rapid developments in the 3D graphics
world, that hardly seems practible though.
--=20
Peter Mutsaers | D=FCbendorf | UNIX - Live free or die
plm@gmx.li | Switzerland | Sent via FreeBSD 4.2-stable
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