Author: Keith Evans
Date: 12:50:51 02/15/04
Go up one level in this thread
On February 15, 2004 at 15:15:42, Dann Corbit wrote: >On February 15, 2004 at 15:10:30, Slater Wold wrote: > >>On February 15, 2004 at 13:53:33, Bob Durrett wrote: >> >>>On February 15, 2004 at 13:24:54, Uri Blass wrote: >>> >>>>I understood from the winboard forum that Bob considers DanChess as a crafty >>>>clone and the question is what is the definition of a clone. >>>> >>>>I remember from slater's post in this forum that if most of the code is >>>>different you cannot win in court by complaining that it is a clone. >>>> >>>>I understood from Dann's post that only 30% of the code of DanChess is >>>>similiar(that does not mean the same as Crafty). >>>> >>>>Dann Corbit posted in the winboard forum the SEE function of Danchess that is >>>>similiar to Crafty. >>>>I wonder if it is really the main reason that Bob considers Danchess as a clone >>>>or only one of the reasons. >>>> >>>>Uri >>> >>>Can you patent or copyright an algorithm???? >> >>Patents cost, on average, about $10k. >> >>No one is ever going to patent an algorithm for chess, unless it actually solves >>the game. > >Some chess algorithms are probably worth millions of dollars, if they had been >patented. > >Searching and sorting are where 40% of mainframe cycles go. And chess is >searching. > >Fortunately, back in the days when these things were invented, people would >publish them for the sheer joy of discovery. > >The Communications of the ACM put the software industry ahead by such leaps and >bounds that I think it is one of the major reasons why software is now a multi >billion dollar industry. > >In my opinion, software patents are evil. Here is why: >You cannot patent a process or mathematics. Algorithms are an embodiment of >processes and mathematics. It seems simple logic to me that no software should >receive a patent. > >But the law as it stands says that you can patent. And so I will obey these >laws, even if I don't like them. What do you mean by "You cannot patent a process ... " I'm not sure if you're talking about the way things are, or the way you think they should be. From USPTO - "Utility patents may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, or compositions of matters, or any new useful improvement thereof." My grandfather had many process related patents related to petroleum processing. This was long before people were talking about patenting software. -K
This page took 0 seconds to execute
Last modified: Thu, 15 Apr 21 08:11:13 -0700
Current Computer Chess Club Forums at Talkchess. This site by Sean Mintz.