Ive read about it elsewhere and the patent seems real enough. For me the biggest absurdity is the patent system in general, that lets these over-generalised patents be granted in the first place.
We can only hope that saner attitudes prevail if/when this one comes to court. An even more extreme example I recall from the past was here in the UK, BT the telecoms giant thought that an old patent they had was describing the very concept of hyperlinks, and that they should therefore be considered the patent-holders for that rather essential web technology. It didnt stand up in court. Anybody know much about the differences between European and US patent law? I believe that in the US you are allowed to patent 'business processes', something thats not true on this side of the pond. And then more recently there was some hoohar about whether the EU would accept software patents, cant remember what happened with that 'initiative', think it stalled for now. Cheers Steve Elbows --- In [email protected], [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > Is this true!? > > Because if it is this is the hieght of absurdity and I know a WHOLE > lot of people who will want to here about it so they can laugh and > laugh... and then cry. > > It's the first I've heard of such a thing, that's for sure. > > -Mike > mmeiser.com/blog > > > On 1/9/07, WWWhatsup <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > http://www.out-law.com/page-7623 > > > > Google, Apple and Napster are being sued over their online video businesses > > by a company that stopped offering internet video years ago. Intertainer > > holds a patent that it says is being infringed by some of the tech world's > > biggest names. > > > > The company now only consists of two people, according to press reports, but > > it will seek to assert its patent rights in a Texas court after filing an > > action on 29th December. It had applied for a patent covering internet video > > distribution, and that was awarded in 2005. > > > > Intertainer was founded in 1996 to distribute films over the internet and > > won investment from Sony, Microsoft and Intel. It stopped that business in > > 2002. > > > > The company holds nine patents, and the current action is based on US patent > > number 6,925,469, which covers the distribution and management of digital > > media files. > > > > Intertainer is seeking an injuction and unspecified damages from the three > > companies and it is thought likely that it will pursue further suits if this > > one is successful. Intertainer founder Jonathan Taplin told the New York > > Times that the company would now begin a patent licensing business. > > > > "Intertainer was the leader of the idea of entertainment on demand over > > internet platforms before Google was even thought up," he said. > > > > The choice of a Texas court is likely to have been influenced by the > > reputation that some Texas courts have for handing out patent-related > > judgments favourable to patent holders. > > > > Intertainer did not file the application for the patent in question until > > 2001, five years after the company was founded and after some companies were > > already offering video and audio material for download. That delay in filing > > could complicate the company's claims. > > > > Google owns YouTube, which leads the world in internet video. The site > > offers short clips of often amateur-produced content for viewing on > > computers and was bought by Google for shares worth $1.65 billion last > > autumn. > > > > Apple owns and operates iTunes, the world's biggest legal music download > > service which is also moving into the business of selling video downloads. > > > > See: US Patent No. 6,925,469 > > http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&RefSrch=yes&Query=PN%2F6925469 > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------- > > WWWhatsup NYC > > http://pinstand.com - http://punkcast.com > > --------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > >
