Gerald Henriksen writes: > On 02 Aug 2003 03:46:37 +0200, you wrote: > > >> Keep in mind that Mandrake is a French company and patent software don't > >> apply in France. > > > >so patent violations can't get inforced in france, am i getting you > >right? i would be surprised if it's the same in germany, nevertheless > > Patent laws vary from country to country, and the tolerance for risk > can also vary from company to company. If we want to be strict: Patent violations can surely be managed by French courts, I'm sure. What is less clear is WHERE there are patents for WHAT. If there IS a patent on MP3 valid in France, for example. ("Enforcing a patent violation" isn't correct, is it? I would have thought it is the patent which is enforced, not the violation. But English is a strange language, so one never knows.)