User:ScotXW/Legal aspects of algorithms

Legal aspects of Algorithms

How to get from this:

• Material goods can be stolen, i.e. physically removed from the owner's or renter's disposition.
• Immaterial goods cannot be stolen, they can only be copied. Hence copying an immaterial good is the equivalent of steeling a material good. The idea behind the design of something, a car, can be copied and this copy or some derivative of it can be applied to the production of another car.

With a look of Civilization 4 e.g., the term "technology" stands for "idea" or "immaterial good". => The "technology of making fire" = "the idea of making fire" and more specifically "a certain way to make fire". The "technology of agriculture" and more specifically the "domestication of a certain plant".

In the previous Chinese society, the way to make a bow, must not be revealed to "outsiders".

What about YOUR "algorithm of making toast" or the "algorithm of making coffee"? Would you reveal it to outsiders? What about trading it?

To an article on "the Legal aspects of algorithms"?

FFmpeg contains more than 100 implementations of video or audio compression algorithms (codecs) most of which do not just store uncompressed data. Most codecs that compress information could be claimed by patent holders. Such claims may be enforceable in countries like the United States which have implemented software patents, but are considered unenforceable or void in countries that have not implemented software patents. Furthermore, many of these codecs are only released under terms that forbid reverse engineering, even for purposes of interoperability. These terms of use are forbidden in certain countries. For example, some European Union nations have not implemented software patents and have laws expressly allowing reverse engineering for purposes of interoperability.