Date: Wed, 27 Aug 1997 22:33:45 +0300 (EEST) From: Narvi <narvi@haldjas.folklore.ee> To: John Fieber <jfieber@indiana.edu>, chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Scary lawsuit Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.3.96.970827222041.25971D-100000@haldjas.folklore.ee> In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.96.970827132436.341m-100000@fallout.campusview.indiana.edu>
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I am no lawyer and neither am I in the US. On Wed, 27 Aug 1997, John Fieber wrote: > Novadigm sues Marimba and threatens W3C. > > http://www.novadigm.com/aB5.htm > > The key point, extracted from the above web page, is over a > patent: > > Novadigm's Patent (Number 5,581,764) "Distributed Computer > Network Including Hierarchical Resource Information Structure > and Related Method of Distributing Resources" describes the > processes needed to generate from a common reference model a > unique content configuration for each target end user, and to > "difference" the "desired state" configuration with the > actual-state of the target, yielding highly granular and very > specific updates to distributed content automatically. > Why are they threating W3C? Web sure is not and does not use such things. > That about describes a fairly long extensive of software > including rdist, sup, cvsup, rsync, ctm and on unix, as well as > similar freely available programs on other platforms. > > I'm no lawyer, is it permissable to get a patent on a technology > that has been in the public domain? I would hope not. The above > patent was issued in December 1996. > I don't think they should have a patent like that at all. If I am not wrong you would have to be the author/owner of the thing you patent? I mean could I get a patent on: "Walking, a way for two-legged creatures for moving step-by-step" "Patenting, a process by which persons or organisation can register their novel ideas and inventions and licence these to others" "Jury, an institution for making decisions based on existing laws..." The american patent laws are strange. Still, you should not be able to get such patents. Neither should Novadigm. Next someone will patent the computer mouse, the printer, the CPU, etc. Sander There is no love, no good, no happiness and no future - all these are just illusions. > -john > >
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