Re: [boost] Re: Fw: [cxxpanel] SCO own copyright on C/C++!

From: Beman Dawes (bdawes_at_[hidden])
Date: 2003-12-29 16:35:46

At 03:41 PM 12/29/2003, David B. Held wrote:

 >"Beman Dawes" <bdawes_at_[hidden]> wrote in message
 >news:4.3.2.7.2.20031229101215.038d4440_at_mailhost.esva.net...
 >> [...]
 >> All of that is perhaps interesting, but it is really off-topic for 
Boost.
 >> So this discussion should move to comp.lang.c++.moderated, or
 >> perhaps some forum dealing with copyright law.
 >
 >So basically, you don't think there's any merit to the claims?
 >You don't suppose a nightmare scenario in which the actual
 >language itself turns out to be owned by SCO, and all "derivative
 >works", like Boost, also turn out to be owned by SCO is remotely
 >possible?

Before an ISO Standard is approved, there is a stage where those with 
proprietary interests must declare those interests publicly or lose the 
ability to extract royalties, etc. One or two did for C++, but only for 
very minor aspects like a particular way to construct v-tables. There was 
recently a case recently where someone hid a patent interest until after 
standardization of some hardware, then tried to collect royalties. IIRC, 
they not only couldn't collect royalties, but were found to have committed 
some form of fraud.

But I'm not a lawyer, and neither are most other Boost participants. So it 
is really a waste of time for us to speculate about "what if" scenarios.

--Beman