[SLUG] about Knoppix Url

From: bpreece1 (bpreece1@tampabay.rr.com)
Date: Thu Aug 28 2003 - 04:12:07 EDT


----- Original Message -----
From: "bpreece1" <bpreece1@tampabay.rr.com>
To: <slug@nks.net>
Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2003 4:03 AM
Subject: Your not going to believe this about Knoppix Url

> http://www.knoppix.com/
>
> Closed because of "Software-Patents"
> In the next few days, the European Parliament will decide about the
> legalisation and adoption of so-called "software patents" in Europe, which
> are already used by large companies in other countries to put competitors
> out of business. This can lead to the termination of many software
projects
> such as KNOPPIX, at least within Europe, because the holders of the over
> 30,000 already granted "software patents" (currently without a legal
> foundation) can claim exclusive rights and collect license fees for
trivial
> things like "progress bars", "mouseclicks on online order forms",
"scrolling
> within a window" and similar. That way, software developers will have to
pay
> the "software-patentholders" for using these features, even in their own,
> completely self-developed applications, which can completely stall the
> development of innovative software for small and medium companies. Apart
> from this, the expense for patent inquiries and legal assistence is high,
> for even trying to find out if the self-developed software is possibly
> violating "software-patents", if you want to continue to market your
> software. Contrary to real patents, "software-patents" are, in the current
> draft, monopolization of business ideas and methods, even without any
> tangible technical implementation.
>
>

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