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<blockquote data-quote="FormerlyDickensC" data-source="post: 4307319" data-attributes="member: 53954"><p><strong>The difference between copyright and patent.</strong></p><p></p><p>I have a friend in law school...yea yea I know, my first mistake...but we were talking and there is one issue that I can't understand. </p><p></p><p>The 4E rules are governed by copyright. They are not patentable, and even if the rules were patentable there is no patent on/governing them (that I know of). Therefore the only legal mechanic governing them prevents nothing but their word-for-word reproduction. I/we can not publish a document re-describing the rules, but creating a software application that inherently uses those rules without re-publishing them is not prevented by a copyright. Copyrights do not do that. Only patents provide such action. </p><p></p><p>Therefore, unless the 4E rules are actually patented, then I see no legal action that can be taken against anyone for creating a software app that inherently uses those rules without re-publishing them. </p><p></p><p>A similar example are automated financial trading strategies (i.e., stock market trading bots). If I publish my trading algorithm in a book, I have no recourse against anyone who implements that strategy in their own software and then resells that software. I may be able to take action against someone who publishes the algorithm using words similar to my published description. But the algorithm is no more my property than the moon. I think the same applies to the 4E rules system (just as the trading algorithm). </p><p></p><p>Of course, a real IP attorney would need to address this. But perhaps there are those on this board who may have input. Am I completely missing something here, or what???</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="FormerlyDickensC, post: 4307319, member: 53954"] [b]The difference between copyright and patent.[/b] I have a friend in law school...yea yea I know, my first mistake...but we were talking and there is one issue that I can't understand. The 4E rules are governed by copyright. They are not patentable, and even if the rules were patentable there is no patent on/governing them (that I know of). Therefore the only legal mechanic governing them prevents nothing but their word-for-word reproduction. I/we can not publish a document re-describing the rules, but creating a software application that inherently uses those rules without re-publishing them is not prevented by a copyright. Copyrights do not do that. Only patents provide such action. Therefore, unless the 4E rules are actually patented, then I see no legal action that can be taken against anyone for creating a software app that inherently uses those rules without re-publishing them. A similar example are automated financial trading strategies (i.e., stock market trading bots). If I publish my trading algorithm in a book, I have no recourse against anyone who implements that strategy in their own software and then resells that software. I may be able to take action against someone who publishes the algorithm using words similar to my published description. But the algorithm is no more my property than the moon. I think the same applies to the 4E rules system (just as the trading algorithm). Of course, a real IP attorney would need to address this. But perhaps there are those on this board who may have input. Am I completely missing something here, or what??? [/QUOTE]
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