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There are many. Think of safety-pin? When it comes to software it is much harder. The thing I can accept are cryptographic algorithms, since as an outcome we ge
by piokoch 14y ago
There are many. Think of safety-pin? When it comes to software it is much harder. The thing I can accept are cryptographic algorithms, since as an outcome we get a product - encoded text. All these one-clicks, etc. are pure bullshit.
- unimpressive 14y agoBut math isn't patentable. You shouldn't be able to sprinkle "math implemented as a computer program" on top of your patent application and be able to skirt this.
- te_platt 14y agoI just looked up the safety pin patent and it does look pretty good. I hope my original question didn't come off as confrontational. I do think we would be better off eliminating patents altogether, but I want to make sure I'm not discounting any positive effects patents may have.
- betterunix 14y ago"The thing I can accept are cryptographic algorithms, since as an outcome we get a product" Of all the things... Cryptography is math in this day and age. Patents on crypto are patents on math, with only the measly "ON A COMPUTER!!!!" clause justifying their existence.
- DanBC 14y agoSee, for example, Clifford Cocks who invented RSA before RSA did, but was unable to patent it, and thus didn't get the profits that RSA did. He got a nice medal though.
- spc476 14y agoIf that's the case, then why wasn't the RSA patent revoked due to prior art?
- jacques_chester 14y agoPrior art has to be published. For some strange reason, Her Majesty's cryptographers at GCHQ were loathe to give up all their classified goodies during the cold war. :)