6 Mar
2005
6 Mar
'05
3:15 p.m.
On Sun, Mar 06, 2005 at 06:33:22PM +0530, Vijay Kumar wrote:
You are trying to associate proprietary software with patents.
That is true. Free Software does not require patents. Patent holders can control/restrict use of patented softwares.
But, a free software developer can also apply for a patent on a particular idea, and require that programs using the idea be free! And guess what, people have already done that. Check out http://www.advogato.org/article/89.html http://www.levien.com/patents.html
1. That requirement can be changed at any time by the patent holder. 2. Does modification and distribution of modified versions permitted ?
Please correct me if I am wrong.
With regards
M.Balakrishna Pillai