Hi all, I was just looking at the iso-contouring code of Zach Pincus ( http://mail.scipy.org/pipermail/scipy-user/2009-July/021719.html), and saw it is implemented with the marching squares algorithm. On the task list that algorithm is listed as well, with a note to investigate patent issues. So I had a look at that. The patent issue was earlier raised in this thread in 2004: http://osdir.com/ml/python.matplotlib.devel/2004-10/msg00066.html. The open question was whether marching squares was covered under the patent for marching cubes or not. This is a 1985 patent and has expired in the meantime, as noted here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marching_cubes. IANAL, but I think there are no patent issues anymore. Separate question to Zach: the code you sent to the SciPy list in July was GPL licensed. You noted you were willing to send it again under a different license. Could you please send it to the list with a BSD/MIT/similar license? Cheers, Ralf
I do not believe that the "marching squares" algorithm was ever covered under the marching cubes patent -- it might even have been cited as prior art? Anyhow, that's irrelevant now since the latter is expired, so as far as I can tell there are no issues at all. A Simplified-BSD-licensed version is attached. Zach On Oct 22, 2009, at 8:37 AM, Ralf Gommers wrote:
Hi all,
I was just looking at the iso-contouring code of Zach Pincus (http://mail.scipy.org/pipermail/scipy-user/2009-July/021719.html ), and saw it is implemented with the marching squares algorithm. On the task list that algorithm is listed as well, with a note to investigate patent issues. So I had a look at that.
The patent issue was earlier raised in this thread in 2004: http://osdir.com/ml/python.matplotlib.devel/2004-10/msg00066.html . The open question was whether marching squares was covered under the patent for marching cubes or not. This is a 1985 patent and has expired in the meantime, as noted here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marching_cubes .
IANAL, but I think there are no patent issues anymore.
Separate question to Zach: the code you sent to the SciPy list in July was GPL licensed. You noted you were willing to send it again under a different license. Could you please send it to the list with a BSD/MIT/similar license?
Cheers, Ralf
On Thu, Oct 22, 2009 at 3:42 PM, Zachary Pincus <zachary.pincus@yale.edu>wrote:
I do not believe that the "marching squares" algorithm was ever covered under the marching cubes patent -- it might even have been cited as prior art? Anyhow, that's irrelevant now since the latter is expired, so as far as I can tell there are no issues at all.
A Simplified-BSD-licensed version is attached.
Thanks!
Ralf
Zach
On Oct 22, 2009, at 8:37 AM, Ralf Gommers wrote:
Hi all,
I was just looking at the iso-contouring code of Zach Pincus ( http://mail.scipy.org/pipermail/scipy-user/2009-July/021719.html), and saw it is implemented with the marching squares algorithm. On the task list that algorithm is listed as well, with a note to investigate patent issues. So I had a look at that.
The patent issue was earlier raised in this thread in 2004: http://osdir.com/ml/python.matplotlib.devel/2004-10/msg00066.html. The open question was whether marching squares was covered under the patent for marching cubes or not. This is a 1985 patent and has expired in the meantime, as noted here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marching_cubes.
IANAL, but I think there are no patent issues anymore.
Separate question to Zach: the code you sent to the SciPy list in July was GPL licensed. You noted you were willing to send it again under a different license. Could you please send it to the list with a BSD/MIT/similar license?
Cheers, Ralf
participants (2)
-
Ralf Gommers -
Zachary Pincus