What an “original and innovative algorithm” is is quite subjective however.[/quote:2f492d7e9d]
I suppose I wasn’t specific enough, but I think you get the idea of what I mean. Like a new method for drawing a line on screen, the algorithm should be a patentable, not an actual software implementation.
If you implement the algorithm, then you have to pay the licence fee. There is probably more than one way in code to implement a specific algorithm too.
Real innovation should be rewarded, not things like “Oh, I’ve decided to patent emoticons”. Even though everyone else has been using them in one form or another since the late 1970’s on Usenet and BBSes !!!