Likewise, I can only call it as I see it – you are unwilling to educate yourself so that my answers to your questions can be appreciated. Try not to squeeze the trigger while looking down the barrel.

Thank you, but I will not throw the pearls into the pen.

A last bit of advice: Try not to squeeze the trigger while looking down the barrel.

I can only call it as I see it – you are unwilling to answer my questions. Without those answers, I don’t know what the basis of your arguments are.

Wayne

“unless the discussion is under your rules”

If the rules of basic knowledge and ordinary logic are too much for you, then what would be the point of a discussion? I am asking for nothing more than that.

“and I agree that you are right before we begin”

I only ask you to agree with me if indeed such agreement stems from the basic fundamentals of Intellectual Property law. You do need to recognize fundamentals for what they are if we are to start a discussion on a common understanding. Again, starting anywhere else would be a waste of time.

“lack of confidence before.”

Your obvious attempts to bait me to an unprincipled debate are futile. You can try to label your desire to engage in such unprincipled discussions any way you want to, but I lack no confidence. In fact, your continued attempts in light of what you say you have read (Sun Tzu) only point out your lack of confidence in your own beliefs. You are evidently afraid of how those beliefs would appear in the full light of actual law and understanding. Much as you simply disappeared from the discussion of education when I presented facts you could not counter, you again attmpet to evade reason and understanding by appealing to ad hominym methods.

Come back when you are ready to have a real discussion. Otherwise the trading of barbs will never result in anything but the trading of barbs.

It really is painful watching you fall all over your lack of basic knowledge of IP and logic.

Coming from you, that line is hilarious, totally hilarious.

Are you having a difficult time readin what I am saying beyond the first sentence, Mad?

Here, let me repeat:

I do need you to know the basics because I am not willing to entertain any formed opinions of yours that are not grounded

And let me add – if you don’t understand the basics, including the differences between copyright and patents, what they protect and why software can have both forms of protection, my answering the questions will be like throwing pearls before swine – do you at least recognize that analogy?

So in other words you aren’t willing to discuss anything, unless the discussion is under your rules, and I agree that you are right before we begin. I can’t remember when I’ve seen such a total lack of confidence before.

Wayne

Here, let me repeat:

I do need you to know the basics because I am not willing to entertain any formed opinions of yours that are not grounded

And let me add – if you don’t understand the basics, including the differences between copyright and patents, what they protect and why software can have both forms of protection, my answering the questions will be like throwing pearls before swine – do you at least recognize that analogy?

It really is painful watching you fall all over your lack of basic knowledge of IP and logic.

I do hope you take me up on my advice and learn a little bit – then come back and we can have an interesting discussion.

I am not confused so please stop projecting.

So why are you unwilling to answer the questions?

I am not confused so please stop projecting. Your lack of understanding about patent matters indicates that I would be wasting my time answering your questions. You need to understand the context of my answers (indeed you need to understand the context of your questions). Using a Sun Tzu metaphor, you need to find the battle field before we an skirmish.

Until you show some semblance of basic understanding, I will not waste my time.

Rather than sitting there looking confused, why don’t you answer the questions? Once you’ve answered them, you’ll understand my point.

BTW, I assume from several of your statements that you are a lawyer, am I right or wrong?

Wayne

I would like to think that I could possibly add the word “intelligent” to the list of adjectives that could be applied to you.

You ask some rather basic questions concerning software and IP protection. If you don’t know the differences between copyright and patent, then not only do you not recognize the war, not recognize the terrain, but you hold the weapon with the barrel facing yourself.

It will be difficult to ascribe to your posts any sense of credibility if you don’t understand the basics. If you do want to learn, there are plenty of sources that you can use to get up to the point where your opinions may make some sense. As it stands, I can only discount opinions that have no discernable basis in the reality of intellectual property law. I don’t need your agreement to hold a conversation – I do need you to know the basics because I am not willing to entertain any formed opinions of yours that are not grounded – that’s like arguing with a stone.

I recognize that you think that this is a war, however that doesn’t mean I agree with you. As you may have noticed, I’m a rather disagreeable person. I’m opinionated, brash, loud, confident, argumentative, and a whole bunch of other adjectives. And yes, ‘Cynical Old Bastard’ fits right in there.

Now as to software patents, there are several issues. Should software be patentable? If software is patentable, should software be covered by copyright? If software can be copyrighted, should patenting also be allowed? If an action is possible using a pencil and paper, and that cannot be patented, then would using software to do the same thing be patentable? What is the difference between software and an algorithym? What is the difference between software and mathematics?

But most importantly, why do you consider the patent protection for software to be so important?

Wayne

That’s even scarier that you not only recognize the terrain around you, but that you don’t even recognize the war. Your head is in the sand if you truly believe that this is not a war.

As for learning from each other – the anti-patent manifesto (and I have actually seen it) is to learn only so much as is neccesary to kill patents. There is no desire to learn – you yourself have exhibited this. Why do you think that my Kool-aid sales always spike when a software patent issue is posted on this blog?

Ah, but this isn’t a war, it’s a discussion about what will be of the greatest advantage to society. There are many viewpoints by a variety of stakeholders (I am speaking about patents only for the moment). Gene has his opinions, you have yours, I have mine, the only thing that we have in common is that we are willing to talk about it, and we are learning from each other.

Wayne

Where are you fighting your war? What is the terrain?

I read Sun Tzu over 30 years ago, and think about his ideas daily. He was a great man, and I’m quite willing to steal ideas from anyone of his stature

Wayne