Munich OSS switch to go ahead, patents or no patents

Grok Headline matches for Munich OSS switch to go ahead, patents or no patents

Munich still set on Linux, despite
patents delay

Munich still set on Linux, despite
patents delay 08/06/2004 01:01 PM
vnunet.com Aug 6 2004 4:57PM GMT

Software patents are bad for coders like
literary patents would be for writers

Software patents are bad for coders like
literary patents would be for writers 06/22/2005 01:49 AM
Cory Doctorow: Richard Stallman, creator of the Free Software movement, has written a tremendous essay for the Guardian on the risks of software patents. Richard undertakes a gedankenexperiment about "literary patents" and the impact they would have had on Victor Hugo as he sat down to pen Les Miserables.

Now consider this hypothetical literary patent: Claim 1: a communication process that represents, in the mind of a reader, the concept of a character who has been in jail for a long time and subsequently changes his name...

These patents would all cover the story of one character in a novel. They overlap, but they do not precisely duplicate each other, so they could all be valid simultaneously - all the patent holders could have sued Victor Hugo. Any one of them could have prohibited publication of Les Misérables.

You might think these ideas are so simple that no patent office would have issued them. We programmers are often amazed by the simplicity of the ideas that real software patents cover - for instance, the European Patent Office has issued a patent on the progress bar, and one on accepting payment via credit cards. These would be laughable if they were not so dangerous.

Link (Thanks, Phil and Eloisa!)

Munich to Go Ahead with Linux After All

Munich to Go Ahead with Linux After All 08/11/2004 03:16 PM

Munich Open Source Plows Ahead

Munich Open Source Plows Ahead 02/11/2004 05:44 AM
A German city's plan to switch to open-source applications has encountered some bumps in the road, but supporters say it will all work out. By Michelle Delio.

Where Do They Come Up With These
Patents?

Where Do They Come Up With These
Patents? 01/16/2004 01:03 PM
Wouldn't it be nice if we could have a day go by without one of these silly patent cases where a "company" (usually consisting of one or two lawyers) gets a patent on something that shouldn't be patentable, doesn't do anything with the patent, and then sues companies that are doing something similar? How is it possibly a "patentable" idea to take the domain name john.smith.name and assign the user an email address john@smith.name? Why is that something that should be patented? Apparently, though, it is patentable, and because of that, Network Solutions and Register.com are being sued. Of course, it's Global Name Registry that runs the .name registry - so it's not entirely clear as to why the suit is focused on the other two players (except, of course, that they probably have a lot more money). I'm curious if someone can explain to me how this patent (and the resulting lawsuit) encourages "innovation"?

NO MORE PATENTS

NO MORE PATENTS 04/23/2004 01:26 AM

JPEG Hits New Patent-Infringement Snag. Forgent Networks slaps 31 companies with lawsuits alleging patent infringement over compression technology it claims is core to the JPEG image standard. [eWEEK Technology News]

STOP THE MADNESS!  I say anybody who tries to enforce patents on open standards should be shot or put in jail.  Well maybe only shot in the arm or leg - but definitely hurt!

We Need More Patents?

We Need More Patents? 01/05/2004 01:44 PM
When I was an undergrad, Lester Thurow's book Head to Head had just come out and was incredibly popular. I was forced to read it for three different classes. In it, he talks about the forces of globalization and how the US, Japan, and Europe (mainly Germany) would compete for world economic supremacy in the nineties. It's been a decade since I last read the book, but what I remember from it was that he was a big fan of government intervention in industry and believed that Germany was clearly poised to beat the US throughout the nineties. Of course, that didn't happen. Now, Thurow is back and saying that the world needs more patents and stronger patent enforcement - but that governments should buy up all those patents. In other words, more big government incentives. It didn't work a decade ago, and I don't see why it should work now either. In the interview linked above, he says that without copyright enforcement there would be no music. Of course, that's not true. First of all, there was music before there was copyright protection for it. More importantly, though, it assumes that there simply can't be any business model for music or intellectual property that doesn't involve copyright protection. That's very uncreative. There are other business models (some of which we've discussed before) and forcing everyone to adopt an obsolete one is only going to hinder, not help, innovation.

Bad Patents

Bad Patents 06/12/2004 09:38 PM

I can't decide whether the EFF's "Patent Busting" project is too clever by half. Will it really do any good? The big problem in patents isn't that bad ones can be overturned -- especially given how difficult and expensive it can be to do so. The problem is the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and its abysmally lousy record for issuing lousy patents. Until someone -- namely Congress -- tackles the issue of patent quality, getting lousy ones overturned is only working at the margins of a much bigger mess.

IBM gives away 500 patents

IBM gives away 500 patents 02/01/2005 09:47 PM

In a bold move in the field of intellectual property , IBM announced the donation of 500 patents .

(thanks to Jamie Carroll )

Microsoft Wants More Patents

Microsoft Wants More Patents 07/29/2004 01:23 PM
It's unfortunate that companies still feel the need to equate patents to "innovation" when the opposite is often true. These days, unfortunately, many companies feel the need to get patents simply as a defensive measure. Whether for defense or offense, it appears that Bill Gates believes Microsoft needs more patents. The company is ramping up their efforts to file for more patents and plan to extort license them to other businesses. So far, they're off to a good start. Some recently noted Microsoft patents include savin g the name of a game you're playing, showing that someone is "typing a message" in IM software, threa d based email, writing an application in HTML, groupin g programs together in the taskbar, pronoun s used in programming and the concept of giving "kudos" points for style and flair. Well, kudos to Microsoft then, on the style and flair with which they've been granted so many questionable patents.

EFF takes aim at 10 key IT patents

EFF takes aim at 10 key IT patents 07/06/2004 06:59 AM
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has issued a list of the 10 patents it considers most dangerous to the continuing freedom of use of the Internet and related software. The nonprofit consumer organization is including these patents under its Patent-Busting project which began late last week.

Getting credit without patents

Getting credit without patents 04/15/2005 04:54 AM

BTW, I'm offering my comment spam buddy under the Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike license, with a special request. It may be that this is a new way to fight comment spam. If it is, I would like credit for discovering it. I consider this one final attempt to work openly without patenting every innovation. I've been asking for help with this for years. Now on the other hand, if it's not new, as Emily Litella said, "Never mind." ";->"

A great example is this Newcity Chicago article which, once again, gives Adam Curry credit for my work. He doesn't say anything to correct them, that's his problem. The reporter's problem is that he's passing on lies. It's endemic, that's why you have a virtual industry of credit-takers, leeches feeding off the creativity of others, and they get away with it because the reporters are complicit. So please, I have no patience for people who lecture us about the thorough research that the pros supposedly do, if they ever do it, it's a very rare thing.

Pressing Patents

Pressing Patents 04/13/2004 08:32 AM
There are at least 30 more unsettled patent cases involving Microsoft. At the same time, Microsoft is building up a hefty patent arsenal of its own.

Patents and Linux

Patents and Linux 08/05/2004 05:30 PM
The wires are full of news around Linux and Patents, with OSRM claiming that Linux infringes lots of ’em, and IBM promising not to litigate ’em. Well, I go way back on this issue; herewith a software patent war story, flavored with the usual cynicism...

All Encompassing Patents

All Encompassing Patents 01/26/2004 12:40 PM

VLC & European Patents

VLC & European Patents 04/07/2005 05:49 PM

A Tale of Two Patents

A Tale of Two Patents 05/19/2004 07:23 PM
InternetNews.com-1 hour agoGoogle's Gmail could be a huge moneymaker for the search leader. But someone else may have thought of it first. Google got gobs ...

10 Internet patents that are going DOWN

10 Internet patents that are going DOWN 07/01/2004 03:34 AM
EFF has picked its list of ten dumb-and-bustable Internet patents after a public competition, and we're saddling up to gather invalidating prior art we can submit to the US Patent and Trademark Office to have them struck down:

1. Acacia Technologies' digital media transmission patent, which the company defines as covering "the transmission and receipt of digital content via the Internet, cable, satellite and other means." The EFF is worried that Acacia, which has already sued several large communications companies, is unfairly targeting small audio- and video-streaming websites.

2. Clear Channel's Instant Live patent, which covers technology used to produce instant recordings of live concerts. The media giant recently bought the patent and is now going after artists who choose to give fans CDs of their shows.

3. Acceris Communication's voice over IP technology patent. Schultz said Acceris is targeting smaller VOIP players. "They're sending (the) patents to investors," said Schultz, "trying to intimidate the investors."

Link

Patents as WMD's

Patents as WMD's 02/05/2005 09:30 PM
From Good Morning Silicon Valley: During a panel discussion at the OSDL Linux Summit, Linux founder Linus Torvalds; Brian Behlendorf, a co-founder of the Apache Web server software; and Mitch Kapor, chairman of the Mozilla Foundation and the Open Source Applications Foundation, spoke out against software patents. "Are software patents...

When Good Patents Go Bad

When Good Patents Go Bad 12/11/2003 12:00 PM

EFF: Let's Bust Bad Patents

EFF: Let's Bust Bad Patents 04/20/2004 09:57 AM
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has created The Patent Busting Project, working with organizations such as the Public Patent Foundation, the Internet Archive and the Chilling Effects Clearinghouse to reduce the harm to innovation and free expression that bad patents represent.

More Microsoft Patents

More Microsoft Patents 09/05/2004 12:48 PM

Apple Going Mad On UI Patents

Apple Going Mad On UI Patents 05/14/2004 01:47 PM

Patents are obviously patented

Patents are obviously patented 02/10/2004 02:55 AM
In a surprise move, the US Patent Office has granted a patent which patents the patent office itself!

Hehe. Actually, the patent is meant to patent the concept of "digital ownership", i.e. the idea that you can "own" things in online multiplayer games. The patent is just so broad that it covers pretty much any database, including the patent database.

This is another example on how the USPTO has just thrown its hands up in the air and basically says "accept them all and let courts sort them out." This is an example on so many countless things that have gone wrong with the system I can't even be bothered to enumerate them anymore... Let me just begin with the notion that the idea of ownership could be patented at all, and end up with how big companies can use this to trounce upon the smaller ones, and you can imagine the rant between those yourself.

Porno patents

Porno patents 07/01/2004 01:48 PM
Hothothot barely legal XXXX trademark action! Fleshbot probes the depths of the US Patent Office registry for a penetrating view inside the kinky world of sex devices that haven't crossed over from whiteboad fantasy to production line reality. If software that fails to come to market is vaporware, what, pray tell, is an anal orgasm monitor that never materializes? Don't answer that. Link

Patents and the Penguin

Patents and the Penguin 05/11/2004 09:16 AM

No EU Software Patents

No EU Software Patents 12/17/2004 06:33 PM

Munich, Germany (23 November 2004). The three most famous European authors of open-source software have issued an appeal against software patents on NoSoftwarePatents.com. Linus Torvalds (Linux), Michael Widenius (MySQL) and Rasmus Lerdorf (PHP) urge the EU Council, which will convene later in the week, not to adopt a draft directive on software patents that they consider "deceptive, dangerous, and democratically illegitimate". They also call on the Internet community to express solidarity by placing NoSoftwarePatents.com links and banners on many Web sites.

It would be nice if someone with some serious design credentials would knock up some more aesthetically pleasing banners.

Software Patents Out, For Now

Software Patents Out, For Now 02/05/2005 09:46 PM
Patent legislation is one step further away from being passed in the European Union today. The Legal "Affairs Committee (JURI) said that the commission should re-submit the controversial directive. The Computer Implemented Inventions Directive" failed to receive backing from the government's elected MEP's.

The <a href="http://www.ffii.org/index.orig.en.html">FFII</a& gt;, a EU pressure group, described the decision as "a powerful statement from MEPs that the current Council text, and the logjam of concern it has caused, is simply not a sustainable way forward." FFII board member Jonas Maebe went on to say "The Commissioner can jumpstart the constructive dialogue by submitting a new and more balanced proposal to the European Parliament this time. By taking into account the countless new facts that have surfaced since the start of this procedure in 2002, the Commission has a great opportunity to reinvigorate the Lisbon strategy."

Poland had previously blocked the directive from coming in to being. It's opposed by groups who want to keep the EU free of copyrights on software, something common to the USA. They argue that rather than helping businesses protect their intellectual property, they act to stifle innovation. Supporters of the directive argue that EU legislation on copyrights is out dated and needs bringing into line with the US system.

The road ahead is un-clear; the commission has a variety of options that it can pursue. The most likely outcome with be a re-evaluation in a few months time. Critics of the directive say the extra time will allow countries more debate over the issue and give them another chance to fully assess its implications.

View: Previous coverage | FFII

Read full story...

Perens on Patents

Perens on Patents 01/23/2004 02:20 PM

Clear Channel + Patents

Clear Channel + Patents 05/27/2004 01:45 PM
Clear Channel Limits Live CDs. A company called DiscLive has been working with a handful of artists to sell concert-goers a live CD -- of the show they've just seen -- after the concert. However, "Clear Channel Entertainment has bought the patent from the technology's inventors and now claims to own the exclusive right to sell concert CDs after shows." More inside...

Soft target for patents

Soft target for patents 05/28/2004 09:27 AM
Euro software patent action. How can software paten ts become a boon, rather than a bane? Euro-mefites contact your MEP to have your say! Act now rather than snarking later!
Friday flash bonus: Hey! Hey! 16k
Via ntk

Gateway countersues HP over patents

Gateway countersues HP over patents 05/10/2004 05:40 PM
As the giants prepare to slug it out in court, Gateway also reported that its estimated first-quarter loss was shy by $6 million, for a revised total of $172 million.

Gallery of Obscure Patents

Gallery of Obscure Patents 03/08/2004 11:17 PM

Do people accuse you of coming up with strange ideas for new products? I'll bet you haven't topped the brainchildren listed here.

For instance, if you occasionally get excited about something but there's nobody around to high-five, you need this little beauty, whose sole purpose is "...providing the user with a convenient outlet for the release of excitement." Sounds rather suggestive.

Then there's the Levitationarium , which is somebody's idea for a "chamber in which an upward air flow is produced to levitate human beings."

What'll they think of next?

Click here to comment on this entry

AT&T Patents Spamming Techniques

AT&T Patents Spamming Techniques 11/17/2003 12:46 PM
Lots of folks appear to be puzzling over this one. Dan Gillmor is noting that AT&T appears to have received a patent on getting around spam filters. Yes, you read that right. They've got a patent on faking out spam filters. There are just so many directions to go with this story... First, some people are wondering if perhaps AT&T is hoping to use this in an anti-spam strategy by suing spammers - saying they've violated the patent by getting around filters. That seems highly unlikely in practice - and extremely unlikely to hold up in court. So, then why would they file for such a patent? It's possible they want to offer a service to spammers that would help them get around filters - and this way they can stop other companies from offering the same thing. Of course, the more important point is that this is a patent for getting around spam filters. How is that possibly patentable? I've certainly violated this patent a bunch of times when emails I've sent to friends got caught in spam filters and I needed to adjust the content. How can this possibly be considered "non-obvious" by even the most dim-witted patent reviewer?

Microsoft Patents IPv6

Microsoft Patents IPv6 03/26/2005 07:20 AM
Corante Mar 26 2005 10:47AM GMT

Xbox2 patents posted

Xbox2 patents posted 01/06/2005 02:40 AM
MS has a new XBox2-related patent that covers procedural geometry generation. It's exciting stuff for gamers, because procedural geometry is inherently cool. But is the patent too broad?

EU Moves Toward Software Patents

EU Moves Toward Software Patents 05/07/2004 08:29 PM

Time to bust some patents

Time to bust some patents 05/27/2004 03:14 PM

Clear Channel Finds Another Way to Abuse Artists: Patents. The company recently bought a patent for recording a CD of a concert immediately after the show. A profitable, artist-empowering industry currently uses the technology, but Clear Channel plans to enforce its patents across and beyond its 130 U.S. venues. [EFF: Mini Links]

OK - so this is a clear opportunity for someone (EFF?) to bus these dam patents.

This one - claiming that you can't record a show and burn a CD - most probably has plenty of prior art/usage on it.  You telling me that NO ONE recorded a show and burned it - before this patent was applied for?

I bet not.

I bet there are folks back at the JVC labs in Kamakura who were recording shows and burning CDs as far back as 1984-5.  I was in an impromtu show at the JVC labs in 1987 that was then turned into a CD, and they told me they had been doing for a while.  When was this patent applied for?

Microsoft Snags TV, Tab Key Patents

Microsoft Snags TV, Tab Key Patents 09/02/2004 11:47 AM
theodp writes "'We think--patent for patent--what we are doing is, if anything, more important than what others are doing,' boasted Bill Gates recently. And on Tuesday, Microsoft once again put rocket scientists and cancer researchers alike to shame, receiving patents for Integrating Television Into Web Pages and Tabbing to Hyperlinks on Web Pages. "
Grok Description matches for Munich OSS switch to go ahead, patents or no patents
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Munich OSS switch to go ahead, patents or no patents

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