Prepaid Mobile Phone Providers Have To Pay The Patent Toll Master

from the pay-up! dept

A few mobile operators, including Cingular, have apparently lost a patent lawsuit involving a patent over offering "prepaid" accounts. The firms now have to pay $130 million for what appears to be a questionable patent. Prepaid accounts, which are much more popular outside the US than within, are a pretty straightforward concept. Instead of buying a regular monthly "subscription," users prepay, and get a certain number of minutes. By prepaying, the operators avoid having any credit risk, as they already have the money. Who knew that such an idea was patentable? Once again, isn't it about time the patent office came up with a better test for obviousness?
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  1. identicon
    James Dennis, 20 May 2005 @ 2:31pm

    Obviousness - in Existance

    At the time this patent was filed there were already operators with launched prepaid in europe D1 in Germany, TMN in Portugal. - James

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Coy E Morphew, 20 May 2005 @ 2:31pm

    Prepaid Accounts

    Get real. It was a true invention. Anytime electronics with a new and different process involved, its patentable.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    tracelan, 20 May 2005 @ 4:04pm

    No Subject Given

    Software patents are a bad idea. Maybe it sounded good but the results have not been good in anyway. They hurt small innovative startups and benefit huge corporations. The patent office will give a patent for ANYTHING. This is a big problem. I say go back to the way it was, software should not be patentable. That will never happen though because lawyers are making a killing filing software patents. The lawyers will never let them die.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    SARA xu, 30 Jun 2011 @ 1:48am

    i like

    My personal the almighty ! youre a guru guy, id been trying to find these records all round the web. Looks like you are quickly writer . regards male

    link to this | view in thread ]


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