Programs are mathematical proofs. If maths cannot be patented, software can't be, either.
this post was submitted on 21 Dec 2023
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Proofs can be represented as programs, not the other way around. Also, USA allows for algorithm parents, and algorithms are maths. While I agree with you, your reasoning is not correct.
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(1 replies)
You can hear a more detailed explanation on VLC's stance from the man himself (JB Kempf) in the FOSS pod S1E11 episode around 22:10.
Basically:
- Not that many threats become lawsuits
- Patent trolling is countered with publicly accessible prior art
- Having no money is also a good deterrent
Thanks for the heads up about FOSS pod. Had not heard of it before.
This is all well and good, and where’s the Traffic Cone!?!
Under Santa's hat
Asking the real questions here.
The cone is the logo for their most popular project (VLC media player), but this is a message from the organization as a whole, which has the logo you currently see. It is not specifically about that one project.
Wait, I thought all countries followed US laws???
What are these "other country" things you mention? You mean the place where war happens and immigrants come from? I didn't know they had computers there.
Can confirm, here in Norway there's both civil and uncivil war at the moment. The uncivil part is against sweden. The country ran out of hamburgers last week, and the hamburger mines have been sabotaged. The only productive diplomatic channel with sweden has been utilized to agree on forming a donkey-caravan across the atlantic ocean into Mexico where humanitarian efforts will provide us with sombreros and crime for our trip north towards the US border. I am posting this from the last steam powered telefax which still has enough coal to run. Wish me luck.
Damn I imagined this
We need a movie about it
They have computers, but only a privileged few know how to use them: https://youtu.be/IrCQh1usdzE?t=944
They're probably talking about Puerto Rico.
Please be sarcasm... Please be sarcasm... Oh I pray to the dark void of the universe that this is sarcasm.
it absolutely is, take it from an autistic person.
(autstic people often don't recognize or can't properly replicate sarcasm, which is why i often use /s)
Yeah, but I've also met several (Americans, usually) who had takes like these and... Uh... Unfortunately meant it.
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While the mistake is a common one, all countries have actually agreed to jointly follow bird law in these sorts of matters.
Can someone elaborate?
They don't recognize or value software patents because they aren't recognized by the government where the project is run from.
Vive la France!
Seeing the last law on immigration :/
We got fucked real bad but we are coming for our rulers and will take down their previous work
Valid.
French laws don't recognize software patents so videolan doesn't either. This is likely a reference to vlc supporting h265 playback without verifying a license. These days most opensource software pretends that the h265 patents and licensing fees don't exist for convenience. I believe libavcodec is distributed with support enabled by default.
Nearly every device with hardware accelerated h265 support has already had the license paid for, so there's not much point in enforcing it. Only large companies like Microsoft and Red Hat bother.
They bother because they are US based and can be hounded by the patent ~~trolls~~ holders
let’s not go too far though… the holders of h264/h265 did put a lot of money and effort into developing the codec: a new actual thing… they are not patent trolls, who by definition produce nothing new other than legal mess
On the other hand, Fraunhofer is obnoxious enough about licensing and enforcement that companies like Google invested similar money and effort into developing open-source codecs just to avoid dealing with them.
There are good FOSS codecs and there are good proprietary codecs. The latter are being standardized where the former may not, and pushed where they are not needed.
It's not a market choice.
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America has the odd idea that software is considered patentable. Since the developers of VLC are French, and software isn't considered patentable in France, they're saying "Va te faire enculer" to people who want to sue them.
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AFAIK european laws only allow to patent "inventions". Software is considered to be a series of "words" in whatever programming language you're using and, like sentences, it's not an invention and can't be patented.
On the other hand, software-assisted inventions can be patented as a whole.
With that said, software can still be considered a "work" protected by copyright laws.
And that's fine. VLC does their own implementation of codecs so that's not an issue. It's the patents that make it an issue.
That logo design hurts my heart.. https://cdn.cnc-comm.com/theme//assets/images/wslogo.png
Fuck that, I like that it's different. I feel a lot of the logos are too similar and boring.
This one has the retro feel to it.
I don't think they were complaining about the design. It invoked a memory of a beloved video game studio from the past that had a similar logo (Westwood Studios) and they are a bit heartbroken. I didn't take their comment as an actual complaint against VideoLAN's logo.
correct!
graphic design is my passion
That’s not their stance, that’s French law
I think it both. Not all software or codec provider aim to apply the EU and French laws. Quite the contrary
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