04-08-2010, 06:01 PM | #1 |
Junior Member
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Cover-Flow Patent
Hi Kovid,
This article is of some interest and could very adversely affect Calibre. I personally love using the cover-flow system and will be sad to see it go if, indeed, it has to. http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/08/a...on-cover-flow/ Hope it's not too big an issue. You have made such an awesome product and it will be sad if corporate entities are able to limit you in your creativeness. |
04-08-2010, 06:34 PM | #2 |
Sigil & calibre developer
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Pretty much everything you can think of when it comes to software has been patented. IBM holds a patent for debugging that was filed in 2008...
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04-08-2010, 07:37 PM | #3 | |
Wizard
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Quote:
Finally, IBM is notoriously hesitant to assert their patents. They are primarily used defensively when another company asserts a patent against IBM. They can often settle by cross licensing. I'm not saying they never assert them, but that they do so less often than many other companies considering they are the largest patent holder. |
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04-08-2010, 08:08 PM | #4 | ||
Sigil & calibre developer
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Quote:
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The overall point I was trying to make with the example is software patents cover so much every day design and development that there is no way to develop software without violating a large number of patents. Microsoft even claims, "The Linux graphical user interfaces - essentially, the way design elements like menus and toolbars are set up - run afoul of another 65 [of their patents]." |
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04-09-2010, 12:34 AM | #5 |
Zealot
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haven't you heard they own our genes too :P
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04-09-2010, 10:02 AM | #6 | |||
Wizard
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Do you know of any software patents that you think Calibre infringes? Seriously. I'd be interested in looking at them. I certainly won't disagree that some awful patents have been issued on software, but some of the most notorious are either never asserted, or have been invalidated when attempts were made to assert them. People can argue about whether patent laws should allow patents on software, but given that software patents are issued, I'd like try to develop an accurate picture of how much risk there really is. |
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Tags |
cover-flow, patent |
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