Patents? Don't look!
Written 26 Jan 2005
<p>Via <a href="http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20050125120714520" >Groklaw</a>, a reference to an article by <a href="http://stephesblog.blogs.com/">Stephen R. Walli</a> title <a href="http://stephesblog.blogs.com/essays/CustomersIP.html">When are you going to sue your customers?</a>. The pertinent portion is this paragraph (empahsis mine):</p>
<blockquote><p> [W]hen Linus Torvalds suggests that developers ignore patents, he is not some OSS mongering communist that believes intellectual property has no value, but rather he's <em>simply working with the reality the system presents to him.</em> Large software development companies shipping proprietary closed source products also tell their developers to not investigate the patent space for the same reasons. It would be interesting for the large vendors to come forward to discuss their practices for developers around patent investigation, rather than slinging useless rhetoric. . . .
</p></blockquote> <p>Here is someone that recognizes Mr. Torvald’s direction, and notes that it is the same guidance given in closed, non-Free software development firms: ignore patents. The practicality of this, in view of the over-reaching quagmire of the patent system, cannot be avoided. Nor can it be minimized, or demonized, as opponents of Free software are wont to do. Those who do either do not fully understand the extent of the problem caused by the broken patent system, or want it to continue because it personally benefits them.</p>
That such direction must be given indicates how desparate and ineffectual the current system is. Plus it lends credence to blocking such a patent system in the EU.