[Asterisk-Users] Digium and mailing lists

[Steve Underwood]

Kevin Walsh wrote:

>Steve Underwood [steveu at coppice.org] wrote:
>  
>
>>Kevin Walsh wrote:
>>    
>>
>>>Steve Underwood [steveu at coppice.org] wrote:
>>>      
>>>
>>>>Using G.729 without a licence in most of the world's countries is
>>>>illegal. 
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>Not so.  What you say is only true in countries that allow software
>>>patents.  Countries that don't have any restriction on the freedom of
>>>ideas, mathematics and business processes etc. would allow the use of
>>>G.729 without having to pay the monopolist's tax.
>>>
>>>You seem to be confusing the USA with the free world.
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>You seem confused about what is patented in G.729. I don't know of any
>>software patents on G.729 
>>
>>    
>>
>Software patents are generally patents on ideas and/or mathematical
>algorithms, both of which are not patentable in a lot of countries,
>and rightly so.
>
>If you were trying to express the opinion that the G.729 patents are
>somehow enforceable in the free world then you need to work on
>expressing your opinions a little more clearly - and preferably with
>some justification.
>  
>
Why the heck would you expect a signal processing patent to be a problem 
in any country with patent laws? How does software come into this, at 
all? The commonest realisation of these things right now is on 
programmable processors. They are also realised in pure, non 
programmable, hardware as well. Do you think that by some magic a 
technique becomes a free for all, just because you implement it in 
software? Would you see any problem with patenting the hardware 
realisation of the same things?

These things just ain't software patents. I don't know of any software 
patents related to G.729.

Regards,
Steve