# HG changeset patch # User Robert McIntyre <rlm@mit.edu> # Date 1364832369 0 # Node ID fe9e92bbafbc7ba74c0b033adb20605f31800610 # Parent 63a9cd3edcc0f81718f7b96b83d6c80fe038139e spellcheck. diff -r 63a9cd3edcc0 -r fe9e92bbafbc org/patents.org --- a/org/patents.org Mon Apr 01 16:05:13 2013 +0000 +++ b/org/patents.org Mon Apr 01 16:06:09 2013 +0000 @@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ Copyright is something the you are automatically granted whenever you create a work in some permanent form; you don't have to request it or anything. It lets you prevent other people from copying your - work, reading your work, or creating derivitave works based on your + work, reading your work, or creating derivative works based on your work. Thus, copyright is what I call a "negative force". It is something @@ -29,8 +29,8 @@ your information. The GPL essentially reads: #+begin_quote - This work is copyrighted, but by recieving this work you gain the - rights to distribute, copy, and make derivitave works based on this + This work is copyrighted, but by receiving this work you gain the + rights to distribute, copy, and make derivative works based on this work, but only if you also license such work under this license. #+end_quote @@ -51,17 +51,17 @@ patent, it gives you the ability to stop anyone else from using your idea in any other invention. This is supposed to give you a temporary monopoly to help you make money off your invention before - anyone else would be legally allowed to do so. In practce, many + anyone else would be legally allowed to do so. In practice, many patents are given for ideas that are quite obvious to pretty much everyone. For example, Amazon has a patent (#[[http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&RefSrch=yes&Query=PN%2F5715399][5,715,399]]) on the idea - of presenting a coustomer with the last four digits of a credit card - instead of displaying the entire numbner. Amazon can sue any other + of presenting a customer with the last four digits of a credit card + instead of displaying the entire number. Amazon can sue any other company that displays only the last four digits of a credit card number and prevent them from using that method unless they pay Amazon a lot of money. Needless to say, there are many patents that are very silly. - Now, I choose a particurally silly patent, but the point is that + Now, I choose a particularly silly patent, but the point is that patents can be a great force for the retardation of progress. Many silly patents have been issued, and a patent lasts for 17 years. For almost any idea, there will be some patent that will cover your @@ -72,8 +72,8 @@ program will be covered by a patent, and it can become impossible to legally distribute that program as free software. This is why some GNU/Linux distributions don't come with an mp3 player. The mp3 - algorighm is patented, and even if you write an open source mp3 - player, you will have problems distribuiting that player because of + algorithm is patented, and even if you write an open source mp3 + player, you will have problems distributing that player because of the mp3 patents. ** Patents are treated as physical objects @@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ can actually distribute that invention. Normally, your invention will be affected by other patents, which themselves are affected by other patents. You can only distribute your invention if you - negoitate with the owners of all these dependent patents. + negotiate with the owners of all these dependent patents. An example: If I own the patent for table tops and you own the patent for table legs, and you and I don't get along too well, then @@ -112,14 +112,14 @@ This is an interesting statement to me. With this pledge, Google has created "neutral" patents that allow open source software to - develop, but do not particurally encourage it to develop. They have + develop, but do not particularly encourage it to develop. They have done this by attaching legally binding conditions on the enforcement of their patents via a pledge. * Positive Patents We can create patents that actively encourage openness by emulating the GPL. What it would take is a company that issues a more - agressive pledge about its patents; Something along the lines of: + aggressive pledge about its patents; Something along the lines of: #+begin_quote The Positive Patent Pledge, v0.1 @@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ see market, as is our right under patent law. The only exception is if the product is open (all code/methods of - construction is made pubically available under an open license), and + construction is made publicly available under an open license), and the entity makes this same pledge for any patents relating to the product." #+end_quote @@ -165,11 +165,11 @@ see market, as is our right under patent law. The only exception is if the product is open (all code/methods of - construction is made pubically available under an open license), and + construction is made publicly available under an open license), and the entity makes this same pledge for any patents relating to the product, the entity can take the Google 'neutral patent pledge' instead of this pledge if they are a 'special exception'. #+end_quote The only way for a company to become a special exception would be - for them to contribute monetairly to this hypothetical company. + for them to contribute monetarily to this hypothetical company.