Re: [Cdn-DMCA] Dolby letter to Netbsd.ORG re: "ac3dec"

From: Russell McOrmond <russell _-at-_ flora.ca>
To: No DMCA in Canada <canada-dmca-opponents (at) flora.org>
Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2001 11:02:43 -0400 (EDT)

On Sun, 8 Aug 1999 aland@striker.ottawa.on.ca wrote:

>   Passing a DMCA law and paying lawyers to sue people is cheaper and
> easier than getting patents.  And it avoids all of those nasty issues
> about patents being "non-obvious", or "original".  The DMCA is a law
> which effectively grants infinited-term patent protection to
> *anything*, without review.  And it removes all possible recourse that
> potential "infringers" have.


  I agree with what you have said with one issue: the court-system is very
much a core part of the patent system itself given that currently patents
are NOT checked by qualified patent examiners against being non-obvious
(the 1-click stuff from Amazon) or being original.


  I would like to have someone explain how the following made it into the
patent system:

  http://www.delphion.com/details?pn=US05443036__

         A method for inducing cats to exercise consists of directing
         a beam of invisible light produced by a hand-held laser
         apparatus onto the floor or wall or other opaque surface in
         the vicinity of the cat, then moving the laser so as to cause
         the bright pattern of light to move in an irregular way
         fascinating to cats, and to any other animal with a chase
         instinct. 


  While we should focus on copyright in this forum, we should note the
links here.  It is far too expensive to get a bad-patent out of the
system, and far too inexpensive to get a bad one in.  Leaving this
decision in the hands of the courts rather than a properly-staffed patent
office essentially ensures that the patent system continues to be for the
benefit of those with the capital/lawyers behind them, and not for
intellectual innovators.


>   Alan DeKok.
---
 Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/>
 Free Sklyarov http://www.dibona.com/dmca/ http://www.freesklyarov.org/ 
 http://www.flora.org/dmca/ Oppose DMCA in Canada! (C) reform process....
 http://russell.flora.org/drafts/copyright-2001.html My submission...

--
For (un)subscription information, posting guidelines and
links to other related sites please see http://www.flora.org/dmca/