A case for software patents?

I have never been a proponent of software patents, for all of the usual
reasons.  This seems to be one of those cases that makes the idea
attractive.  Has that option been considered?  The howls would make the
original fuss over BK seem like a low background hum, but it would open
the possibility of OSS usage again sometime in the future.

Peter
-- 
Peter B. West <http://cv.pbw.id.au/>
Folio <http://defoe.sourceforge.net/folio/> <http://folio.bkbits.net/>