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

I disagree with software patents but in some fields, particularly ones with
high barriers to market, they serve an important function. The big problem
with them is they they aren't for 7 years as originally intended and have
been extended to the point they are an unfair imposition on the public good
that is seen as a perpetual right as opposed to a brief period in which to
commercialise an invention.

-Matthew Lye

 Leadership is responsibility, not privilege, Action, not position,
Guidance, not knowledge, and outcome, not disposition.

"Speech is conveniently located midway between thought and action, where it
often substitutes for both." - John Andrew Holmes

On Tue, Jan 12, 2016 at 10:34 PM, ac <[email protected]> wrote:

>
> 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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>

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