From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.io!.POSTED.blaine.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Jay Sulzberger Newsgroups: gmane.lisp.guile.user Subject: Re: re-writing algorithms in Guile Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2021 05:26:38 +0000 () Message-ID: References: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=X-UNKNOWN; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: QUOTED-PRINTABLE Injection-Info: ciao.gmane.io; posting-host="blaine.gmane.org:116.202.254.214"; logging-data="21949"; mail-complaints-to="usenet@ciao.gmane.io" To: guile-user Original-X-From: guile-user-bounces+guile-user=m.gmane-mx.org@gnu.org Tue Jun 29 07:26:56 2021 Return-path: Envelope-to: guile-user@m.gmane-mx.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([209.51.188.17]) by ciao.gmane.io with esmtps (TLS1.2:ECDHE_RSA_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:256) (Exim 4.92) (envelope-from ) id 1ly6Gu-0005Wt-Sb for guile-user@m.gmane-mx.org; Tue, 29 Jun 2021 07:26:56 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:35368 helo=lists1p.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from ) id 1ly6Gt-0004iy-3g for guile-user@m.gmane-mx.org; Tue, 29 Jun 2021 01:26:55 -0400 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:470:142:3::10]:51954) by lists.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS1.2:ECDHE_RSA_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:256) (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from ) id 1ly6Gh-0004iq-Fg for guile-user@gnu.org; Tue, 29 Jun 2021 01:26:43 -0400 Original-Received: from mailbackend.panix.com ([166.84.1.89]:52506) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS1.2:ECDHE_RSA_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:256) (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from ) id 1ly6Ge-0002sY-50 for guile-user@gnu.org; Tue, 29 Jun 2021 01:26:43 -0400 Original-Received: from panix3.panix.com (panix3.panix.com [166.84.1.3]) by mailbackend.panix.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 4GDXyk722bz3mX0 for ; Tue, 29 Jun 2021 01:26:38 -0400 (EDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=simple/simple; d=panix.com; s=panix; t=1624944399; bh=gDOsUuMnZJn2a+jHi6XL4cwt63jAOe9qMQ6+HIvZeAM=; h=Date:From:To:cc:Subject:In-Reply-To:References; b=TpkuIzlO15eZDIv13Yl/RJjfRkx3Y1AB+kl89ZVNr3+jEv8OSFmLiV+xegTl+4002 vWhEjK7MN/Z1iwLaBK4ptZBrmonQLsF9j9b5OrHdb+dc9BDgNVv27cjJseocarO7SL B4ZKxTSUwrkuTuA2zqp0HDHcYuS1FWLsAwDHCrdc= Original-Received: by panix3.panix.com (Postfix, from userid 7271) id 4GDXyk6GfBz1QXN; Tue, 29 Jun 2021 01:26:38 -0400 (EDT) Original-Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by panix3.panix.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 4GDXyk5tZsz1QXJ; Tue, 29 Jun 2021 01:26:38 -0400 (EDT) In-Reply-To: Received-SPF: pass client-ip=166.84.1.89; envelope-from=jays@panix.com; helo=mailbackend.panix.com X-Spam_score_int: -23 X-Spam_score: -2.4 X-Spam_bar: -- X-Spam_report: (-2.4 / 5.0 requ) BAYES_00=-1.9, DKIM_SIGNED=0.1, DKIM_VALID=-0.1, DKIM_VALID_AU=-0.1, DKIM_VALID_EF=-0.1, PDS_TONAME_EQ_TOLOCAL_HDRS_LCASE=1.997, RCVD_IN_DNSWL_MED=-2.3, RCVD_IN_MSPIKE_H3=0.001, RCVD_IN_MSPIKE_WL=0.001, SPF_HELO_NONE=0.001, SPF_PASS=-0.001 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no X-Spam_action: no action X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.23 X-BeenThere: guile-user@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.23 Precedence: list List-Id: General Guile related discussions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: guile-user-bounces+guile-user=m.gmane-mx.org@gnu.org Original-Sender: "guile-user" Xref: news.gmane.io gmane.lisp.guile.user:17627 Archived-At: On Mon, 28 Jun 2021, Tim Meehan wrote: > Say for instance, I have found an algorithm for scalar function > minimization on a website, written in C. It is posted with a license for > use. If I write something based on this hypothetical code, is it then > clearly also licensed in the same manner? > > Granted, I know that this is guile-user and not guile-lawyer, but in many > cases the transformation from procedural to functional is kind of a radic= al > re-imagining. I usually try to contact the people and ask them directly, > but was wondering what was the general consensus in cases where the > original author did not answer? Algorithms cannot be copyrighted. See https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ31.pdf Here is a quote from the article: United States Copyright Office Ideas, Methods, or Systems What Is Not Protected by Copyright Copyright law does not protect ideas, methods, or systems. Copyright protection is therefore not available for ideas or procedures for doing, making, or building things scientific or technical methods or discoveries; business operations or procedures; mathematical principles; formulas or algorithms; or any other concept, process, or method of operation Section 102 of the Copyright Act (title 17 of the U.S. Code) clearly expresses this principle: =E2=80=9CIn no case does copyright protection for an original work of authorship extend to any idea, procedure, process, system, method of operation, concept, principle, or discovery, regardless of the form in which it is described, explained, illustrated, or embodied in such work.=E2=80=9D Inventions are subject matter for patents, not copyrights. For information about patent laws, contact Commissioner for Patents U. S. Patent and Trademark Office P. O . Box 1450 Alexandria, VA 22313-1450 (800) 786-9199 www.uspto.gov Your program in Guile Scheme which realizes an algorithm is not a derivative work of the program you read, which program is written in C. Even in the case that your program realizes the same algorithm as the C program does. The above official article of the US Copyright Office clearly states this. oo--JS.