[Gloucs] MRTG

[Tim Ballam]

Has anyone a copy of Multi Router Traffic Grapher?

As this is all that I can find on the site (hope this is not a sign of
things to come!)


Closed because of "Software-Patents"
On September 22nd, 2003 the European Parliament will decide about the
legalisation and adoption of so-called "software patents" in Europe.
Software Patents are already used by large companies in other countries
(like the US) to put competitors out of business. This can lead to the
termination of many software projects such as MRTG, at least within Europe.

In Europe, 30,000 "software patents" have already been granted. Currently
without a legal foundation. But if the new law passes on the 22nd, the
patent owners can claim exclusive rights and collect license fees for
trivial things like "progress bars", "mouseclicks on online order forms" or
"the concept of scrolling within a window".

Software developers will have to pay the "software-patentholders" for using
these features, even in their own, self-developed applications. This has the
potential of stalling the development of innovative software for small and
medium companies. Because the matter is so complex every software author
will have to get expensive legal aid to determine if his self-developed
software is possibly violating some "software-patents". If he fails todo so,
he risks expensive licensing fees being charged years after the release of
the software, as a patent owner suddenly discovers that his invention of
using "underlined text to markup a hyperlink" has been used without
permisson. 

Contrary to real patents, "software-patents" are, in the current draft,
monopolization of business ideas and methods, even without any tangible
technical implementation.

Read more about the issue.
Questions: Mail Tobias Oetiker. 


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