I just recently watched the documentary "The Future of Food". If you want a dose of true patent absurdity and corporate abuse... watch it. Gets into patenting "life" via genetics, as it relates to agriculture mostly.
Sick World. On 1/11/07, Steve Watkins <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > 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 videoblogging@yahoogroups.com <videoblogging%40yahoogroups.com>, > [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 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- Sull http://vlogdir.com (a project) http://SpreadTheMedia.org (my blog) http://interdigitate.com (otherly) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
