10-28-2003 FTC Issues Report on How to Promote Innovation Through Balancing Competition with Patent Law and Policy
Although questionable patents can harm competition and innovation, valid patents work well with competition to promote innovation. This Report analyzes and makes recommendations for the patent system to maintain the proper balance with competition,? said Timothy J. Muris, FTC Chairman.
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It's rare to see one Govt Agency comment negatively on another, glad to see the FTC not afraid to talk about the failings of the Patent Office.
Microsoft is on a roll lately ;
10-15-2003 Microsoft Patents Your Local Weather Report
Patent 6,632,248Posted by timothy on Wednesday October 15, @10:35AM
from the ask-your-local-ueber-monkeys dept.
theodp writes "After a seven year wait, Microsoft was granted a patent Tuesday for the Customization of network documents by accessing customization information on a server computer using unique user identifiers, patent lawyer-speak for using preferences stored on a server for such purposes as "displaying stock quotes for the companies in which the user is interested, and displaying the user's local weather report.""
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A while back I made a website from existing html tools and website to display local weather without having to download a client program or anything. Based on the nut jobs at the Patent Office my existing use of prior art and common Internet Technology may now belong and owned by Microsoft. This insanity has to stop. Absolute fvcking idiots work at the Patent Office!
Dave's Gainesville Georgia Automatic Weather Update page
10-7-2003 Patenting the Obvious - Microsoft gets Patent for Instant Messaging
Microsoft continues the industry trend of trying to patent technology that's been commonly used for nearly three decades. They've filed for a patent on a simple IM programming concept; the "so-and-so is typing a message" monitoring text that appears on the majority of IM clients. The technology's formal name is "System and method for activity monitoring and reporting in a computer network"; the application was approved today by the USPTO.
9-24-2003 Linus Torvalds comments: "The experiences from the USA demonstrate that software patents don't benefit anyone but perhaps the patent lawyers. They will just weaken the market and increase spending on patents and litigation, at the expense of technological innovation and research.
9-20-2003 Owner of Dewey Decimal System Sues New York's Library Hotel
Melvil Dewey created his system - used in 95 percent of all public and K-12 school libraries - in 1873, but it is continually updated, with numbers assigned to more than 100,000 new works each year.
In the lawsuit filed last week, lawyers for the Online Computer Library Center said the organization acquired the rights to the system in 1988 when it bought Forest Press, which published Dewey Decimal updates. The center charges libraries that use the system at least $500 per year.
The complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Columbus seeks triple the hotel's profits since its opening or triple the organization's damages, whichever is greater, from the hotel's owner.
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Any Librarians in here? I didn't know Library's were paying $500 a year just for their filing system that dates back to 1873.
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Update 10 years later
1-4-2013
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/13/01...utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed
USPTO Asks For Input On Software Patents
"The patent office is reviewing its policy on software patents and is asking for feedback.
Groklaw reports that the USPTO will be hosting a pair of roundtable sessions in February, during which the public will have the ability to attend and put forth their viewpoints. From the article: 'It's obvious the USPTO realizes there is serious unhappiness among software developers, and they'd like to improve things.
Software developers are the folks most immediately and directly affected by the software patents the USPTO issues, and it's getting to the point that no one can code anything without potentially getting sued.
If you can make it to Silicon Valley on February 12 or New York City on February 27, go and make your voice heard."
Although questionable patents can harm competition and innovation, valid patents work well with competition to promote innovation. This Report analyzes and makes recommendations for the patent system to maintain the proper balance with competition,? said Timothy J. Muris, FTC Chairman.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's rare to see one Govt Agency comment negatively on another, glad to see the FTC not afraid to talk about the failings of the Patent Office.
Microsoft is on a roll lately ;
10-15-2003 Microsoft Patents Your Local Weather Report
Patent 6,632,248Posted by timothy on Wednesday October 15, @10:35AM
from the ask-your-local-ueber-monkeys dept.
theodp writes "After a seven year wait, Microsoft was granted a patent Tuesday for the Customization of network documents by accessing customization information on a server computer using unique user identifiers, patent lawyer-speak for using preferences stored on a server for such purposes as "displaying stock quotes for the companies in which the user is interested, and displaying the user's local weather report.""
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A while back I made a website from existing html tools and website to display local weather without having to download a client program or anything. Based on the nut jobs at the Patent Office my existing use of prior art and common Internet Technology may now belong and owned by Microsoft. This insanity has to stop. Absolute fvcking idiots work at the Patent Office!
Dave's Gainesville Georgia Automatic Weather Update page
10-7-2003 Patenting the Obvious - Microsoft gets Patent for Instant Messaging
Microsoft continues the industry trend of trying to patent technology that's been commonly used for nearly three decades. They've filed for a patent on a simple IM programming concept; the "so-and-so is typing a message" monitoring text that appears on the majority of IM clients. The technology's formal name is "System and method for activity monitoring and reporting in a computer network"; the application was approved today by the USPTO.
9-24-2003 Linus Torvalds comments: "The experiences from the USA demonstrate that software patents don't benefit anyone but perhaps the patent lawyers. They will just weaken the market and increase spending on patents and litigation, at the expense of technological innovation and research.
9-20-2003 Owner of Dewey Decimal System Sues New York's Library Hotel
Melvil Dewey created his system - used in 95 percent of all public and K-12 school libraries - in 1873, but it is continually updated, with numbers assigned to more than 100,000 new works each year.
In the lawsuit filed last week, lawyers for the Online Computer Library Center said the organization acquired the rights to the system in 1988 when it bought Forest Press, which published Dewey Decimal updates. The center charges libraries that use the system at least $500 per year.
The complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Columbus seeks triple the hotel's profits since its opening or triple the organization's damages, whichever is greater, from the hotel's owner.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Any Librarians in here? I didn't know Library's were paying $500 a year just for their filing system that dates back to 1873.
============================================================
Update 10 years later
1-4-2013
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/13/01...utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed
USPTO Asks For Input On Software Patents
"The patent office is reviewing its policy on software patents and is asking for feedback.
Groklaw reports that the USPTO will be hosting a pair of roundtable sessions in February, during which the public will have the ability to attend and put forth their viewpoints. From the article: 'It's obvious the USPTO realizes there is serious unhappiness among software developers, and they'd like to improve things.
Software developers are the folks most immediately and directly affected by the software patents the USPTO issues, and it's getting to the point that no one can code anything without potentially getting sued.
If you can make it to Silicon Valley on February 12 or New York City on February 27, go and make your voice heard."
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