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I dunno how software patents work but I was under the impression that unless you basically copy paste their code, the courts wouldn't consider it patent infring
by VierScar 2y ago
I dunno how software patents work but I was under the impression that unless you basically copy paste their code, the courts wouldn't consider it patent infringement as you can't patent the function, but rather the specific thing itself which for software is the exact code itself. But if I'm not understanding something please correct me.
- amelius 2y agoThis cannot be true because if you copied a physical design and made a few irrelevant modifications then it's still infringement.
- wlesieutre 2y agoYou’re thinking of copyright, which covers a specific creative expression. Patents are more general on how something is done and would cover different code that works the same way.
- VierScar 2y agoAh, you're right, thanks
- dawnerd 2y agoOverly simplistic: patents is the process not strictly design. Edit: just to be clear there are design patents too, but I don’t think they’d be granted for software.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- mcfedr 2y agoSoftware patents are magic, you just start your process with 'on a computer do X' and because computers are a piece of hardware you can patent anything you like
- subpub47 2y agoI'm still upset that my "you can't patent software because of the Curry-Howard isomorphism" legal argument never took off. (Basically, software is equivalent to math, and you can't patent math. Therefore, you can't patent software. QED.)