[Asterisk-Dev] Re: writing a GPL G.729?

[alex at pilosoft.com]

On Tue, 7 Dec 2004, Kevin Walsh wrote:

> Steve Underwood [steveu at coppice.org] wrote:
> > Software is patentable in Europe and most other places, when it meets
> > certain conditions. It always has been. There is actually nothing in
> > European patent law directly about software. What is says is basically
> > pure maths can't be patented, while applied maths can. The means
> > fundamental algorithms can't be patented, but a piece of software that
> > has a "technical effect" can.
> > 
> Please don't listen to this idiot.  He doesn't have a clue.
Kevin,

That takes some balls to call Steve an idiot. Steve wrote much of DSP code 
that asterisk uses, and is author of opencall DSP libraries and MFR2 code. 

The research that Steve performed regarding patents involved in DSP use 
can be found here: http://www.opencall.org/patents/index.html (and actual 
list of patents is in readme file of opencall libraries).

At this point, I think this list needs moderation or at least control of 
the most ridiculously offtopic and clueless posters.

The patent discussions continue to attract an innumerable number of people 
whose only exposure to patents is taken from slashdot.org and K5.

-alex