Re: Tux2 - evil patents sighted

[Daniel Phillips]

"Jeff V. Merkey" wrote:
> 
> I've allocated $20,000 US for this, but i doubt you will use all of it.
> Linux IP issues affect all of us since we ship Linux, so I am happy to
> pick up the tab.  Tux is hot stuff, and we plan to use it, along with
> all the other great Linux stuff.  Consider it our part to help Linux.
> The structure of TRG is modeled a lot like Microsoft -- we are actually
> a law firm thinly disguised as a software company (just like MS)
> snicker... snicker ....  :-)

Is it legal to snicker about Microsoft?

Thank you so much.  The response I've gotten on this from all sides has
been amazing.  I still haven't heard a thing from Netapp, nor have I
tried to contact them, other than through this public forum.  Um, it's a
public matter so I don't think I'm acting incorrectly.

Q: What would be more evil than a patent?

A: A copyrighted patent.  Then you have to pay to find out what you 
   can't do and they have a monopoly so they can make you pay whatever 
   they want.

Here's a gem of a claim from the main WAFL patent:

  "20. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of using one or 
  more of said read-only copies of said file system to back-up said 
  blocks comprising one or more consistency points of said file system."
  http://innominate.org/~phillips/wafl.patent.5819292.html

I may be interpreting this incorrectly, but this seems to say that they
claim proprietary rights to making a backup from a checkpoint.

--
Daniel