Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

JiN88reddit t1_iwlsozs wrote

This may be more of a political question than a math question:

Is it even possible to "copyright" a mathematical theorem, or any proofs, for that matter? Considering something like a^2 +b^2 = c^2 can be proven by anyone in any number of ways through flow of logic, would it even be a futile attempt?

And to take it a step further: what will happen IF something like the Pythagorean theorem is being copyrighted?

2

atomfullerene t1_iwm3z3r wrote

No, math like this explicitly cannot be copyrighted, at least in most countries (I don't know about every single one).

>what will happen IF something like the Pythagorean theorem is being copyrighted?

It would just be a huge mess and not really be enforcable, and if it was enforced would cause all sorts of problems, which is why math isn't copyrightable in the first place

7

csamsh t1_iwnl8d9 wrote

No. Quantifying the natural world is tough to copyright. Example- human genome. I'm sure there are exceptions though

3

humanspeech t1_iwprju3 wrote

Haha you should tell that to the CRISPR patent case. It’s complicated but biology esp bioinformatics is becoming insane with the patents and copyrights. There was a lawsuit to patent the BRCA gene that was shot down a few years back.

Here’s the latest on the CRISPR case if anyone wants to check it out: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00721-3

3

Indemnity4 t1_iwnp09j wrote

The IP laws for this are going to get very niche and confusing.

  • Patents cannot be an equation or a fact. Once you publish it you cannot lock it away and prevent people using it.

  • Copyright does not protect a fact, which would be the equation itself. For instance, you cannot copyright a cooking recipe of 1 cup flour, 2 cups sugar, etc. However, you can copyright a page of a book. That includes the font, typesetting, arrangement. So you can copyright a recipe book, copyright a page of a recipe, copyright the text instructions, but not copyright the weights and measure in the recipe.

  • Copyright can protect a logo or an image. For instance, you could create a company with the Pythagorean theorem as the name, then have a graphic designer create a logo for you. Anyone can still use the formula, but they can't use to name another company or product, and they have restrictions on how they write it on things.

  • Trade secret or national security restriction on an equation. You write it down on internal company documents, then everyone who reads it must sign a NDA. If any of those people reveal the equation to the outside world, you can sue that person for damages. If it's a government secret you can even put someone in prison, in some cases, pre-preemptively before they release the secret.

2

Pharisaeus t1_iwmj7r9 wrote

It can't be copyrighted or patented because math is discovered and not invented. Those theorems were true and "existed in nature" always.

1