[SciPy-dev] Python (Enthought Edition) for Windows test release

[eric jones]

Robert Kern wrote:

> Robert Kern wrote:
>
>> (Before I begin, I will state that I am not a lawyer; this is not 
>> legal advice.)
>>
>> Which ones? Two of the patents look like they are going to expire 
>> this summer (assuming the usual 20-year patent term) but not before 
>> then. One of the patents is still pending.
>
>
> Oops. I was wrong. The 20-year term wasn't enacted until 1995. Patents 
> filed before then usually have a 17-year term[1] (Note: this is all 
> Google-fu, not a legal opinion. If you need one, please retain your 
> own lawyer and ask him). It looks like Marching Cubes/Squares and 
> Dividing Cubes *may* be safe to use. I'll look into futzing with the 
> VTK build process to be able to compile just these classes.
>
> [1] 
> http://assembler.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode35/usc_sec_35_00000154----000-.html 
>
>
I remember some discussion on the VTK list (or somewhere) about this.  
The main developers were saying they thought that most of the patents 
expired Dec 2004 or something like that -- but they weren't sure.  
Hmmm.  Here it is:

http://public.kitware.com/pipermail/vtk-developers/2002-July/001755.html

and

http://public.kitware.com/pipermail/vtk-developers/2002-July/001763.html

They mention Dec 2004 and June 2005.  We can either do some digging to 
be sure Dec 2004 is right, or we can wait until June and then turn on 
the expired ones then...

For now, I am happy to keep them turned off.

eric