Organization Seeks Ten Patents to Challenge
EFF is calling on the public to help identify patents that are
having negative effects on Internet innovation and free
_expression_. As part of EFF's Patent Busting Project, EFF seeks
nominations for the ten worst offenders in the world of
intellectual property. Winners will become the first targets for
the project's team of attorneys, technologists and experts, who
will file "re-examination" requests with the United States Patent
and Trademark Office (PTO), asking the agency to revoke the
patents.
EFF Staff Attorney Jason Schultz, who heads the project, said he
can't wait to see what the contest turns up. "We have seen
illegitimate patents asserted on such simple technologies as
one-click online shopping, video streaming, and paying with
credit cards online. When individuals and small businesses are
faced with million-dollar legal demands, they have no choice
but to capitulate and pay license fees. We aim to change that."
To qualify for the contest, a bad patent has to be more than
just stupid and invalid. It must be issued in the United States
and be software or Internet-related. Contest judges are
particularly interested in patents for technologies that enable
free _expression_, such as streaming video, blogging tools, and
voice over IP (VoIP). Equally important, the patent owner must
be actively threatening or suing people for licensing fees.
"Patent owners who claim control over communication tools can
threaten anyone who uses them, even for personal or non-commercial
purposes," explained Schultz. "Overreaching patent claims
unfairly reduce the tremendous benefits that software and
technology bring to freedom of _expression_."
The contest opens today and closes on June 23. Winners will be
announced on June 30.
Enter the contest:
<http://www.eff.org/patent/>
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