[Haskell-cafe] Software patents covered in GHC?

[Erik de Castro Lopo]

Manuel M T Chakravarty wrote:

> In fact, you are better of not to know.  Given that GHC (like all
> non-trivial software) surely infringes on some patents, the damages
> that a patent holder can sue you for are less if you do not know about
> the patents you are infringing on.  IIRC, a plaintiff can triple the
> charges if they can reasonably show that you have been aware of the
> patents that you are infringing on.  Nasty business!

ON the up side, the fact that GHC is Open Source software available
from a public repository and a lot of what is in GHC is published
in papers which are widely and freely available on the internet
means that stuf fthat was in GHC first can never be patented (or
at least can be successfully challenged when it is).

Erik
-- 
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Erik de Castro Lopo
http://www.mega-nerd.com/