<div>Note a legal advice, but more of based on my own experience and observations: you can patent what you're doing if hasn't been done before. You don't nomally patent software, but you patent methods to solve a problem or to generate something. So while your code may still be covered under GPL or a similar license, there is nothing to stop you from patenting it if you haven't distributed it yet. But even if it has been published, I think in US or Canada (forgot which) you still have up to one year to apply for the patent.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Needless to say, I am a software developer and I concure that software patents are evil :O)<br><br></div>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Dec 12, 2008 at 3:09 PM, Adam Mordecai <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:mordecai@advomatic.com">mordecai@advomatic.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">The idea of patenting OPEN SOURCE software is sort of like worshipping<br>The Devil in a Catholic Church full of parishioners in the middle of a<br>
service. The outcomes would be similar.<br><br>If they want a closed source solution, then they should build their<br>own rather than trying to copyright the blood sweat and tears of<br>thousands of developers all over the world and claiming it as their own.<br>
<br>When you see your client, please laugh in their face and pat them on<br>the head as if they are a cute baby goat in a petting zoo.<br><br>Adam Mordecai<br>Advomatic Partner<br>---------<br>AIM: AdamMordecai<br>Main: (303) 733-0215<br>
Cell: (646) 625-9010<br>Fax: (646) 472-7993<br>----------<br>Advomatic<br>243 5th Ave, Suite 460<br>New York, NY 10016<br><a href="http://www.advomatic.com/" target="_blank">http://www.advomatic.com</a><br>
<div>
<div></div>
<div class="Wj3C7c"><br>On Dec 12, 2008, at 11:42 AM, Brett Evanson wrote:<br><br>I'm working with a client that has asked me this question: "Is<br>anything we are doing patentable?".<br><br>What sort of things are patentable within open source development?<br>
What sort of issues are there with specific licenses? Where do I even<br>go to start here?<br><br>Any help is much appreciated.<br><br>--<br>Brett Evanson<br><a href="mailto:brettev@gmail.com">brettev@gmail.com</a><br>_______________________________________________<br>
consulting mailing list<br><a href="mailto:consulting@drupal.org">consulting@drupal.org</a><br><a href="http://lists.drupal.org/mailman/listinfo/consulting" target="_blank">http://lists.drupal.org/mailman/listinfo/consulting</a><br>
<br>_______________________________________________<br>consulting mailing list<br><a href="mailto:consulting@drupal.org">consulting@drupal.org</a><br><a href="http://lists.drupal.org/mailman/listinfo/consulting" target="_blank">http://lists.drupal.org/mailman/listinfo/consulting</a><br>
</div></div></blockquote></div><br>