Klarinet Archive - Posting 000095.txt from 2010/07

From: Joseph Wakeling <joseph.wakeling@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] iTunes and mp3
Date: Wed, 07 Jul 2010 14:11:55 -0400

On 07/07/2010 07:33 PM, Eric Dannewitz wrote:
> So how does this affect the end user?

Massively.

To cite only one example, the reason that everyone is still using that
buggy, horrible piece of rubbish called Adobe Flash to watch online
video is because the process of agreeing an international standard for
streaming web video has been held up -- for years -- because of major
concerns over software patents.

Think that pushing virtually every internet user into the hands of a
single supplier isn't a big effect?

> I mean, heck, lets STOP using ALL software that has a patent on it.
> Which would mean we couldn't use ANYTHING...

No; let's stop using all software for which the patent holders enforce
onerous licensing schemes. There are plenty of companies who have
chosen to license their patents in an ethical fashion, permitting other
developers to innovate and invoking the patents only as a defence
mechanism against patent lawsuits that they themselves fall victim to.

More generally, let's get rid of software patents. They're a textbook
case of where the intended purpose of patent law (to spur innovation) is
actually having the opposite effect.
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