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Edit: Author has removed the licensing claim so we can put this thread to rest. The original comment follows. --- This is absolutely bogus. TFA is a descripti

by oefrha 6y ago

Edit: Author has removed the licensing claim so we can put this thread to rest. The original comment follows. --- This is absolutely bogus. TFA is a description of the math behind Pijul, not a step by step description of the implementation, and certainly not the implementation itself. Have you ever read a math/CS paper that attempts to dictate a license on all future work based on the algorithms (or ideas in general) within? I’m honestly shocked that the author, who is apparently an academic, flouts academic norms like this. Disclosure: as someone who was trained as a mathematician, I’m offended by attempts at restricting the free exchange of knowledge. Re sibling that links to author’s tweet: plagiarism is something else entirely, and I fail to see how GPL helps in combating plagiarism.

wodenokoto 6y ago
> Have you ever read a math/CS paper that attempts to dictate a license on all future work based on the algorithms That's a patent, and I do think that there exists papers that describes patented algorithms. TFA seems to think that their algorithms is patented by the GPL license
- oefrha 6y ago
  Yes, that’s a subtlety that my original comment didn’t address. However, even patents can’t be licensed in perpetuity, so they can’t possibly apply to all future work. GPL on the other hand doesn’t have an expiry date. In addition, there’s no implicit patent, you have to apply in every jurisdiction where you want to protect your idea, and IIRC in most jurisdictions you either can’t retroactively apply for a patent after you’ve published the idea, or you only have a short period after publishing before the right is forfeited.
  - majewsky 6y ago
    > GPL on the other hand doesn’t have an expiry date. Of course it does. 70 years (or was it 95?) after the death of the author, like for any copyrighted work.

by oefrha 6y ago

wodenokoto 6y ago

> Have you ever read a math/CS paper that attempts to dictate a license on all future work based on the algorithms That's a patent, and I do think that there exists papers that describes patented algorithms. TFA seems to think that their algorithms is patented by the GPL license

oefrha 6y ago
Yes, that’s a subtlety that my original comment didn’t address. However, even patents can’t be licensed in perpetuity, so they can’t possibly apply to all future work. GPL on the other hand doesn’t have an expiry date. In addition, there’s no implicit patent, you have to apply in every jurisdiction where you want to protect your idea, and IIRC in most jurisdictions you either can’t retroactively apply for a patent after you’ve published the idea, or you only have a short period after publishing before the right is forfeited.
- majewsky 6y ago
  > GPL on the other hand doesn’t have an expiry date. Of course it does. 70 years (or was it 95?) after the death of the author, like for any copyrighted work.