[Mannaggia l'America]

IS this true? I can’t beleive they would issue a patent for an algorithm.

And another related Wikipedia link: Software Patents Under US Patent Law

This article has an interesting tidbit:

"The Clinton administration appointed Bruce Lehman as Commissioner of the Patent and Trademark Office in 1994. Unlike his predecessors, Lehman was not a patent lawyer but the chief lobbyist for the Software Publishing Industry. In 1995, the PTO established some broad guidelines for examining and issuing software patents."

But I'm sure the Linux Lefties will blame Bush....

(Note: That doesn't imply that ALL Linux users are lefties, but there does seem to be a group of free software advocates that are also communists.)

[antiRepublicrat]

Lehman was not a patent lawyer but the chief lobbyist for the Software Publishing Industry.

Wow, I didn't know that. So it wasn't just the activist courts like I thought, but also Clinton yet again selling out our Constitution.