Re:Apache Foundation disallows use of the Facebook “BSD+Pate...
by rosser on Sunday July 16, 2017 @01:06AM
(#14780586)
I'd call that a "distinction without a difference". Those are generally fallacious, and more often pedantic. Sure, you can still technically use React if, say, you're based somewhere that patents aren't particularly enforced. But if that's the case, why do you have patents in the first place?
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Re:Apache Foundation disallows use of the Facebook “BSD+Pate...
by palunon on Sunday July 16, 2017 @05:37AM
(#14781278)
In many European countries (all of the EU ?), software patents are not recognized.
You may still have other kinds of patents, which are very much enforceable.
Re:Apache Foundation disallows use of the Facebook “BSD+Pate...
by jwildeboer on Sunday July 16, 2017 @07:12AM
(#14781519)
That is plain wrong. Software patents exist and are enforced in the EU and other member states of the European Patent Treaty. The European Patent Office even has a nice FAQ on helping you get your software patents granted at:
https://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/html/guidelines...
Re:Apache Foundation disallows use of the Facebook “BSD+Pate...
by rwmj on Sunday July 16, 2017 @08:08AM
(#14781659)
The situation is a bit more subtle than you make out. The EPT has clear language which excludes software from patentability, but that hasn't stopped lawyers from arguing that some software can be patented if it has a physical effect (even a minimal one). Wikipedia actually summarises it decently: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_patents_under_the_Eur...
Re:Apache Foundation disallows use of the Facebook “BSD+Pate...
by jwildeboer on Sunday July 16, 2017 @10:08AM
(#14782006)
The situation isn't even that subtle. The "physical effect" AKA the German Teaching has eroded into a "further technical effect" in the past decade. And with the UPC looming, things could get even worse. But that's getting off topic.