Re: Intel Fellow and cultural anthropologist Genevieve Bell to keynote linux.conf.au 2016 Geelong

I have a question

<snip>
> ubiquitous. An accomplished anthropologist and researcher, Bell
> joined Intel in 1998. She has been granted a number of patents for
> consumer electronics innovations throughout her career, with
> additional patents in the user experience space pending, 
<snip snip>
> 
> “As Linux moves from servers and desktops into embedded hardware,
> into the cloud, into mobile devices, the need for those products to
> be in affinity with user needs becomes ever more important.
> Genevieve’s area of practise is such a natural fit for our conference
> theme - Life is better with Linux - and we can’t wait to learn from
> Genevieve!”
> 
Question: How does Linux AU feel about patents in general?

As that is a "feelings" type of thing, the law is written and open
source licenses are what they are, these are facts and then there are
the opinions.

Opinions? :
Do patents promote the growth of open source, open standards
and do they embody the values of what Linux stands for and what 
Linux AU feels/thinks (or is of the opinion that) a Linux community 
should be (or become)?

And I fully understand why patents are registered. 

Facts: It allows the patent holder to prevent other people from using
that technology, design or software without paying royalty or without
their explicit permission. 
 
Opinions: In the case of non User Interface (UI), Novell and
many others apparently use the non free tech to pay/fund open tech,
patenting UI however is not so very cool and I would propose much more
directly opposed to the open source goals... 
ianal but, Open Source licensed software patents are unenforceable in
Australia for both UI/design as well as process etc.

Anyway, how does Linus Torvalds feel about patents?
(okay, that is a rhetorical question as I have discussed this already
at length with him and he is, I believe you say "rabid"?, about the
topic - he does not like software patents whether the usage
becomes ubiquitous or not.)

of course these discussions are difficult as there are ego's, feelings,
opinions, I am sorry in advance if you chose to take exception to any
of my opinions or if you decide to take offense. As a developer of
FOSS, I also do not like software or applied UI design patents, at all
and I constantly have to dance around them as well as hunt/find/rely on
prior art. 

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