First Internet message

[Paul Koning]

> On Dec 26, 2019, at 12:23 PM, Fred Cisin via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
> 
> And, a Happy Humbug to you, too!
> Fleas Navy Dad and Yo new huevo!    spellling?
> 
> 
>> I^@^Ym not familiar with U.S. law but didn^@^Yt Xerox ^@^Xown^@^Y the patent(s) t$ technology? Again to my knowledge Microsoft and Apple both ^@^Xappropriated^@^Y and/or ^@^Xmisapproriated^@^Y, depending on your point-of-view, this exact technology!
> 
> Xerox took the position that ideas like that were not patentable, and could not be hoarded for financial gain.  It is not clear to me whether that was a truly altruistic position, or a tacit acknowledgement that it was resistance is futile.

The rules have changed over time.  Whether that's by bureaucratic fiat or by changes to the law I'm not sure.

For example, at one point software wasn't considered patentable, which meant Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman had to twist themselves into some contortions to patent the RSA algorithm.  It was done by describing it as a device, I think.  Not long afterwards, software patents became possible.  The Xerox work may have been in the earlier period.

Some companies weren't as serious about patents as others; I worked for a startup around 1997 that didn't care to patent anything, which was really rather stupid of them.   But large companies like Xerox do tend to understand their options here.

	paul