From: lee donaghy <lee295012_at_yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 20 May 2003 19:53:27 +0100 (BST)

 --- ds2list <ds2list_at_yahoo.com> wrote: >

rockbox is part of the GPL licence so companies can't
include rockbox or any of your code without
distibuting their sourcecode freely, which i guess
would stop them using your code.


> With all the Intellectual Property controversies
> going on in the
> open-source world right now (SCO vs. Linux/IBM,
> etc.), I was
> wondering if there is any way to protect innovative
> features of
> open source projects like Rockbox from idea stealing
> by companies.
>
> Specifically, I was thinking about my Talkbox patch.
> I've not seen
> that feature on any other personal mp3 players, and
> I'd like it to
> stay something that is owned by the Open Source
> community. Is there
> any way to ensure this. Is there a way of
> demonstrating "prior art"
> with project like Rockbox, so that a company like
> Apple/Creative
> would think twice before copying a new Rockbox
> feature to an I-Pod
> or Nomad? Or is the philosophy of the project to
> allow this
> kind of "borrowing"? Are unique features of an
> open-source project
> "patentable" by the project?
>
> -Danan
>
>

=====
Lee donaghy
great yarmouth
lee295012_at_yahoo.com

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Received on 2003-05-20