Re: How can we submit code patches that implement our (pending)patents?
От | Nico Williams |
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Тема | Re: How can we submit code patches that implement our (pending)patents? |
Дата | |
Msg-id | 20180711145235.GA8717@localhost обсуждение исходный текст |
Ответ на | RE: How can we submit code patches that implement our (pending)patents? ("Tsunakawa, Takayuki" <tsunakawa.takay@jp.fujitsu.com>) |
Ответы |
RE: How can we submit code patches that implement our (pending)patents?
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Список | pgsql-hackers |
On Tue, Jul 10, 2018 at 08:20:53AM +0000, Tsunakawa, Takayuki wrote: > From: Nico Williams [mailto:nico@cryptonector.com] > > On Sat, Jul 07, 2018 at 10:20:35AM -0700, Andres Freund wrote: > > > It's entirely possible to dual license contributions and everything. Why > > > are you making such aggressive statements about a, so far, apparently > > > good faith engagement? > > > > One problem is that many contributors would not want to be tainted by > > knowledge of the patents in question (since that leads to triple > > damages). > > > > How would you protect contributors and core developers from tainting? > > IIUC, you are concerned about the possibility that PG developers would > read the patent document (not the PG source code), and unconsciously > use the patented algorithm for other software that's not related to > PostgreSQL. That would only be helped by not reading the patent > document... BTW, are you relieved the current PostgreSQL doesn't > contain any patented code? As far as I know, PostgreSQL development > process doesn't have a step to check patent and copyright > infringement. You're proposing to include code that implements patented ideas with a suitable patent grant. I would be free to not read the patent, but what if the code or documents mention the relevant patented algorithms? If I come across something like this in the PG source code: /* The following is covered by patents US#... and so on */ now what? I could choose not to read it. But what if I have to touch that code in order to implement an unrelated feature due to some required refactoring of internal interfaces used by your code? Now I have to read it, and now I'm tainted, or I must choose to abandon my project. That is a heavy burden on the community. The community may want to extract a suitable patent grant to make that burden lighter. > > One possible answer is that you wouldn't. But that might reduce the > > size of the community, or lead to a fork. > > Yes, that's one unfortunate future, which I don't want to happen of > course. I believe PostgreSQL should accept patent for further > evolution, because PostgreSQL is now a popular, influential software > that many organizations want to join. I don't speak for the PG community, nor the core developers. Speaking for myself only, I hope that you can get, and PG accepts only, the widest possible royalty-free patent grant to the community, allowing others to not be constrained in making derivatives of PG. My advice is to write up a patent grant that allows all to use the relevant patents royalty-free with a no-lawsuit covenant. I.e., make only defensive use of your patents. Nico --
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