Patent troll claims ownership of interactive Web--and might win

by sbucciarel Banned
4 replies
Very interesting patent case underway in Texas against some of the biggest companies on the Internet.
The federal courthouse downtown is packed to the brim with dozens of lawyers, representing the world's biggest Internet companies, including Yahoo, Amazon, Google and YouTube, Apple, Playboy, Perot Systems, Blockbuster, Citigroup, eBay, and Frito-Lay--all for using the "interactive web."

A succession of pioneers of the early Web--including the Web's father, Tim Berners-Lee himself--has flown in from around the world to denounce two software patents they believe threaten the future of Web innovation. East Texas has transformed itself into something of a haven for patent suits over the past several years, but by any standard, the trial now underway is an extraordinary circus of dark suits.
Patent troll claims ownership of interactive Web--and might win
#claims #interactive #ownership #patent #troll #web—and #win
  • Profile picture of the author awddude
    Michael Doyle, a low-profile Chicago biologist, claims that it was actually he and two co-inventors who invented—and patented—the "interactive web" before anyone else, while they were employed by the University of California back in 1993. Doyle argues that a program he created at the UC’s San Francisco campus, which allowed doctors to view embryos over the nascent World Wide Web, was the first program that allowed users to interact with images inside of a Web browser window. The defendants hotly contest that, saying that it was programs like Pei-Yuan Wei's pioneering Viola that first offered this functionality.
    While we must protect intellectual property, it's a hard case. He invented something so fundamental, that people view the "interactive" internet as a right rather than a privilege - and you can't patent rights. Will be an interesting case to follow. If he raised the alarm back in 1994, he would win. It might be too late for him though in 2012.
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  • Profile picture of the author Shoot
    What is sad is these "trolls" win one suit and they have the funding to keep attacking for years to come...
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandor Verebi
      Interesting situation.

      I am not a lawyer, so I'm curious, is not some term of limitation in the above -- if it is serious at all?

      I look forward the outcome.

      - Sandor
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
    You may be able to patent software, but you can't patent an idea. The question is whether or not a particular website has used this particular software, or if they found their own way to implement interactivity.

    Another aspect of it would be how the software is meant to be used. For example, Photoshop is used to edit photographs, but they don't claim ownership of every photograph that has been edited with their software.

    All the best,
    Michael
    Signature

    "Ich bin en fuego!"
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