Messages in this thread | | | From | "Lieven Marchand" <> | Date | Thu, 6 Jul 2000 21:32:02 +0200 (CEST) | Subject | Re: [offtopic] Re: Patented algorithms in kernel |
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Alan Cox writes: > Patents on software algorithms are illegal in most of europe.
It's a bit more subtle than that. I've talked a bit about that with the university professor who taught an intellectual property course for engineering students and algorithms and mathematic stuff as such is not patentable. In combination with a physical device it is. So in his opinion, according to Belgian law, Unisys wouldn't have gotten a patent on LZW compressing, but they could have gotten a patent on the application of LZW for communication through a telephone line, i.e. in modem application.
-- Lieven Marchand <mal@bewoner.dma.be> When C++ is your hammer, everything looks like a thumb. Steven M. Haflich
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