[ubuntu-uk] UK Patent Laws

[Toby Smithe]

On Wed, 2007-02-28 at 22:48 +0000, gord wrote:
> On Wed, 2007-02-28 at 22:11 +0000, Benjamin Webb wrote:
> > I thought I'd point out
> > http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page11077.asp , the response to the
> > petition to stop software patents. Apparently software patents are
> > already illegal in the UK.
> > 
> > Does this mean that it is legal for us to install MP3 codecs
> > (including using automatix) or are these patented as algorthims rather
> > than just software.
> > 
> > Thanks, I'd like to know whether what I do is legal :)
> > Ben Webb
> > 
> 
> yes software patents arn't and have never been acknowledged by the uk
> government, that petition was about keeping it that way. you can install
> mp3 codecs and the like just fine, although i implore you to never ever
> use automatix, its unsupported and you will find no help from most other
> ubuntu users, its caused us a lot of headaches in the past.

Yes, you should just follow https://wiki.ubuntu.com/RestrictedFormats in
future; or at least until Feisty and easy-codec-installation is out.

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