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Blocking useful freedoms
Revision as of 17:48, 6 January 2010 by Ciaran (talk | contribs) (In software, access to data format specifications holds a role of importance unparalleled in other fields. Examples of data that come in specific formats include email, images,)
Software patents block useful freedoms, such as the freedom to write software, to distribute software, and in some case, the freedom to talk about software.
In software, access to data format specifications holds a role of importance unparalleled in other fields. Examples of data that come in specific formats include email, images, and word processing documents. In the context of writing an email reader, a word processor, or an image viewer, being blocked from reading, modifying, or writing in the required data format is equivalent to being banned from writing a functional program for that task.
