software patents (STWL: please comment)

[Mahesh T. Pai]

Bernhard Fastenrath said on Sun, Nov 14, 2004 at 04:39:37PM +0100,:

 > You probably read the initial version which already has been changed
 > in the course of the discussion:
 > 
 >   "5. If you are owner of software patents you agree to refrain from
 > any legal action based on infringement of your intellectual property 
 > claims derived from __said_patents__ against users of open source 

Rephrasing  this  as  ``...  your  claims derived  from  ....''  might
help. `Intellectual property' _is_ a confusing term.

 > software and concerning open source software as defined by the Open 
 > Source Initiative (OSI)."

``... software uner a license approved by the OSI ...''

 > This paragraph  is only  related to software  patents. You  have to
 > have a software patent or this paragraph does not apply.

When  you  mean  patents,  say  so.  ``intellectual  property''  is  a
hotch-potch of contradictory concepts.

-- 
         Mahesh T. Pai    <<>>   http://paivakil.port5.com
>From The Devil's Dictionary (1881-1906) [devil]:
  LAWYER, n.  One skilled in circumvention of the law.