binarybits

8 ms·

91.
by binarybits 14y ago
If you read the material at defendinnovation.org, you'll see that they do not oppose patents on software. They call for changes to the patent system designed to make software patents work better. Which is fine, but not the same thing.
92.
by binarybits 14y ago
By all means sign both the EFF petition and my petition. Still, EFF has never been the kind of organization that tries to cut deals inside the beltway. They've always been an organization that takes principled positions. Given that reputati
93.
Petition to EFF to support abolishing software patents(change.org)
3 points by binarybits 14y ago|0 comments
94.
by binarybits 14y ago
The Bay Area's density is a fraction of of New York City's density. Yet rents in the densest parts of NYC are even higher than those in the Bay Area, which suggests that many people want to live there.
95.
by binarybits 15y ago
Did you read the article or just the headline? You can disagree with my conclusions but I think patent policy is an important topic.
96.
by binarybits 15y ago
I did email him. He told me I needed to go through Microsoft PR, and after I explained the topic of my story Microsoft PR declined to let me talk to him.
97.
by binarybits 15y ago
I'm pretty sure I didn't say "the iPhone was just a copy."
98.
by binarybits 15y ago
I link to that page in my story. I tried to interview Buxton but Microsoft's PR people turned me down.
99.
by binarybits 15y ago
Obviously, the best situation would be for majorities in both parties to be against this stuff. But a world where Republicans are against it and Dems are for it is much better than the world we've had for the last few years, in which both p
100.
by binarybits 15y ago
It's important to remember the DMCA has two major provisions. The anti-circumvention provision is pure evil. The notice-and-takedown safe harbor was a pretty good compromise.
101.
by binarybits 15y ago
Which ones are those?
102.
by binarybits 15y ago
Stocks are valuable because they're a claim on a stream of future dividends. Bitcoins, in contrast produce no dividends and aren't intrinsically useful. So the question is why are they valuable at all? Also, the name-calling isn't necessary
103.
Defendant asks US Marshals to drag Righthaven principals to court(arstechnica.com)
2 points by binarybits 15y ago|0 comments
104.
UMG claims "right to block or remove" YouTube videos it doesn't own(arstechnica.com)
143 points by binarybits 15y ago|54 comments
105.
by binarybits 15y ago
So everything is patentable and it's judicial activism for the Supreme Court to rule that something is unpatentable? Why do you assume it works that way and not the other way around?
106.
by binarybits 15y ago
"It doesn't seem like this is a case where they could expand it—that would involve overturning precedent." Which precedent would that be?
107.
by binarybits 15y ago
"True change in this area really is something where the Court can only do so much. The definitions of patents in general are determined by Congress and its laws." Sorry, but this is just completely wrong. The law regarding patentable subjec
108.
by binarybits 15y ago
His representation in the case provided by Public Citizen, a public interest organization that I would expect takes clients pro bono.
109.
Patient sues dentist over gag order, gets Medical Justice to backtrack(arstechnica.com)
110 points by binarybits 15y ago|31 comments
110.
by binarybits 15y ago
Don't the same issues apply to the cruise ship industry?
111.
by binarybits 15y ago
B-2 is for tourists. You're probably thinking of the B-1, but as I understand it that precludes "productive work" and only allows meetings. The idea is to provide a platform for companies that aren't yet large enough to take advantage of vi
112.
by binarybits 15y ago
But clean-room engineering is almost always slower than writing the software from scratch. Which, AFAICT, is what most companies actually do except in the rare case where they need to achieve interoperability with an existing product (lik
113.
by binarybits 15y ago
Thanks for reading my article, and for sharing your perspective on it. However, I don't think you understand how copyright law applies to computer software. Translating a computer program line-for-line to another programming language doesn'
114.
Patently Absurd - Copyright Law Can Meet the Needs of Software Developers(cato.org)
87 points by binarybits 15y ago|36 comments
115.
by binarybits 15y ago
If you read my article, you'll see that's not what the study finds. They estimate that less than 10 percent of the wealth lost by defendants goes to patent trolls. The rest is destroyed.
116.
by binarybits 15y ago
Having access to a large patent pool provides zero protection against NPEs ("patent trolls").
117.
by binarybits 15y ago
Those are all worthwhile sentiments, but they're not the same as "we're opposed to patents on software."
118.
by binarybits 15y ago
No, they opposed "low-quality software patents," which is a goal, not a reform proposal.
119.
by binarybits 15y ago
This ignores how the patent statute is written. Congress sets extremely broad principles for what is patentable and leaves it to the courts to work out the details. That process of interpretation inevitably involves making policy judgments.
120.
by binarybits 15y ago
No, a computer does that. You can patent a computer, you just can't patent the software it runs. Just as you can patent a CD player but you can't patent the music it plays.

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