[theora] Theora patent question

[Jason Self]

On Oct 10, 2009, at 11:02 AM, Shayne Wissler wrote:

> On Sat, Oct 10, 2009 at 10:58 AM, Jason Self <jason.self at gmail.com>  
> wrote:
>
>> Your original statement was that Theora must infringe on
>> something simply due to how the patent system works. The most
>> constructive thing to do if you truly believe that Theora must
>> infringe on something, is to take the time to come up with specific
>> evidence.
>
> Are you aware of how many software patents are filed on a yearly
> basis? Have you ever actually read any software patents? Because your
> statement implies to me that the answer to both of these questions is:
> No.

While it's true that there are lots of software patents granted each  
year, that fact is actually irrelevant because the number of patents  
to investigate is actually fixed: Think about when Theora made its  
first public appearance. Any patent granted after that date cannot  
threaten Theora because of the prior art.