[Haskell-cafe] US Patent for the idea of using Haskell to implement UAX #9

[Brian Hulley]

Ivan Lazar Miljenovic wrote:
> Brian Hulley <brianh at metamilk.com> writes:
>> The main problem for me is just the fact that the legal system in
>> itself is, as Charles Dickens wrote in "The Old Curiosity Shop"
>> (Chapter 37):
>>
>>     ... an edged tool of uncertain
>>     application, very expensive in the working,
>>     and rather remarkable for its properties of
>>     close shaving, than for its always shaving
>>     the right person.
> 
> I like Humorix's take on the issue of patents
> (http://humorix.org/articles/2000/01/linux-history1/):
> 
> Lawyers Unite
> =============
> 
> Humanity faced a tremendous setback ca. 1100 A.D., when the first law
> school was established in Bologna. Ironically, the free exchange of
> ideas at the law school spurred the law students to invent new ways
> (patents, trademarks, copyrights) to stifle the free exchange of ideas
> in other industries.

Hi Ivan,
Thanks for the humourous take on the unfairness of software patents.

I have to admit however that I do own a trademark, namely "Xipal" 
(European Community Trade Mark No 007366693). (It is pronounced 
"ZeepAhl" with the "ee" as in "keep".)

I just mention this because I want to make sure that anyone reading the 
archive in the future understands that I *do* see a positive role for 
the legal profession in our life today. My gripe is only about the 
unfairness of software patents and the way they serve only to stifle out 
hope for small businesses like the one I'm trying to create. (Metamilk 
Limited, registered in Scotland as SC270127)

I'd like to hope that someone high enough up in the legal profession 
would eventually see that by stifling out small businesses in this way 
they are actually depriving their profession of all the work they would 
otherwise be getting by providing day-to-day legal services to those 
businesses, such as providing an address for the registered office and 
doing routine filing with relevant government departments.

Cheers, Brian.

--

www.xipal.eu
www.metamilk.com