Patenting numbers to become possible in US

[Niall Douglas]

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On 24 Nov 2003 at 23:41, Benoît Sibaud wrote:

> > http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/28/34148.html
> > 
> > Is this for real?
> 
> I don't know, but at the digital era, every content IS a number (eg a
> CD is just a number with 650 millions of binary digits). That leads to
> many roads...

<wince> what an awful world that would be.

I'm guessing it has to do primarily with encryption and finding large 
prime numbers. However, if you allow that then what's to stop newly 
discovered comological constants like planck's constant or the mass 
or charge of an electron (I don't mean these in particular, but 
rather new ones discovered - it would have a chilling effect on 
research).

Do you think it's some form of mass insanity currently going around 
the US? Let's hope it isn't too contagious and someone finally tells 
the emporer he's wearing no clothes.

Cheers,
Niall





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