When Patents Attack

xenou

MrExcel MVP
Joined
Mar 2, 2007
Messages
16,836
Office Version
  1. 2019
Platform
  1. Windows
There was an interesting radio program on IT patents today ("When Patents Attack"):
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/441/when-patents-attack

If nothing else, one has to be amazed that even in the year 2000 there was a patent filed for toast (patent number 6080436, "Bread Refreshing Method."). By analogy, things that everyone involved in IT does, and makes up a part of the most ordinary activities (such as starting a website) involved technologies that somebody, somewhere, owns a patent for - examples mentioned in the program were providing software patches over the internet, and backing up files remotely.

A short write up (if you don't have time to listen):
http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/07/22/138576167/when-patents-attack

My reaction to it all:
{sigh}

ξ
 

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Can't get to the first link here, so I read the story on the second one...
UGLY business... imho, if this doesn't get resolved, this will seriously hurt the software industry :(

I think software patents should be abolished altogether, but meanwhile, under the motto 'if you can't beat them, join them', I've filed for the following patent in my name:
"Method to obtain solutions for software problems by asking help from experts in message boards."

Prepare to make me rich!! :biggrin:
 
Thanks, Xenou. A most interesting broadcast. I knew this was going on, but I didn't know how brazenly shameless much of this is. My favorite part was in the 39th minute where a guy that's supposedly a lead patent counsel claims he's not familiar with the US Patent Office's website. That's priceless.
 
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