[License-discuss] Software, licenses, and patents

jonathon jonathon.blake at gmail.com
Thu Mar 12 20:52:40 UTC 2015


All:

Need some help.

Software was privately created.
Developer wants to release under the GNU GPL 3.0.
If you want to change the license, for your comments, do so.

Issue:
Developer is using systems, methods, and techniques that were described
in the literature more than three decades ago (in some instances 400
years ago), except instead of using pen and paper, they are using software.

As best as can be determined, there are no patent issues with any
libraries that are used.

As best as can be determined, there are no copyright/license issues with
any of the libraries that are used.

Developer is not going to be responsible for claims of patent
infringement by users.

Developer is not going to cover any court costs incurred by users,
because of patent related litigation, or threats of such litigation.

Developer is emphatically not going to pay for the right to utilize any
patents within the software.

Content created by the developer years before the patents were applied
for, might have been the source of any patents that were granted.


Question:
Should developer make any notation about possible patents that the
software _might_ infringe upon?

This isn't a case of where the developer is unaware of possible patents.
Nor is it a case of where the developer holds any patents.


jonathon

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