[Coco] Copyrights & patents

[Bill Barnes]

Sadly, Corporations have skewered the Copyright and Patent laws in their favor. The true intentions was to let the holder make his money exclusively for a time, and then, it was to be ok for "generics" to come along, in regards to patents, but now, a company can renew the patent indefinately, even way beyond the point of where it becomes obsolete. Most software companies, and those who buy the old software from others, have only one thing on their mind, keep the patents and copyrights renewed in the name of making money, or  FEAR that someone may be able to unravel their newer tech based on the old (double meaning intended). Now, take SCO, remember them? Their Big Idea (MS funding conspiracy theory aside) was to scare people into buying licences for Linux from them because of "Copyrighted IP Infringement" allegedly in Linux from Unix code.
 
What it boils down to is: even if a company will never make even a penny off of it, again or from the beginning), they may see a "value" that might not exist, or too expensive to capitalize on. Whether it be that they can apply low and underhanded pressure to licence something that isnt really theirs (and then claim they *thought* they had the rights to enforce), fear that old obsolete tech will unravel the new tech (thus valuable to keep it locked up in the dungeon until the world ends), or just plain "You want it? Sorry, It's mine, and nobody else can have it" greed.
 
We're Stuck with it, unless we vote government reps in that aren't corrupted and those who are, out.
 
-Later!
 -WB-    -- BABIC Computer Consulting.