Hyperlinking From CD To The Web Patented -- Plenty Of Software Companies Sued
from the seriously? dept
Remember Acacia? It's the patent hoarder that buys up random questionable patents and then sues lots and lots of companies. Its most famous patent is for streaming media, which is number one on the EFF's list of patents that need to be busted. However, the company also has other patents. The latest is about to get a lot more attention. It's officially a patent for an information distribution system, but which Acacia claims actually covers having a hyperlink on a CD-ROM that links to a database, such as the web. Acacia has a subsidiary, called Disc Link, who is "monetizing" this patent by suing a ton of software companies, such as Oracle, SAP, Borland, Business Objects, Compuware, Corel, Eastman Kodak and Novell among others. Considering how many companies distribute CD-ROMs with links to the web, you can imagine how many companies can now be sued. How this concept could possibly be patented isn't explained -- not when there's plenty of money to be made by suing companies who are doing the most basic things that hyperlinks were designed to allow.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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They need to band together.
Looking at the patent, it appears that it would work more like the help system in Microsoft Office. You have a database distributed on CDROM that then links to another database remotely.
In any case, the filing date was Nov 8, 1998. I'm PRETTY sure that the technique Acacia is claiming was well established by then and the use seems rather obvious to me but, then, I don't work in the Patent Office and their standards are different than mine.
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Re: They need to band together.
Yes, but the patent is a continuation in part of a patent filed June 8, 1994.
Prior art should be found before this date, even preferrably 1 year before in a marketed product (that is June 7, 1993)
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Hey...
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You've got it wrong.
Don't you see? How better to show the flaws in the patent system than to so blatantly exploit them? Acacia is a parody of any big business that attempts to stifle innovation via the patent system.
They bring the spotlight and point it at the flaws-- hopefully someone with the power to fix those flaws does so.
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Re: You've got it wrong.
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I have a CD of a 1995 PC Answers CD magazine
Just because there was no major technological progress for over 50 years (!), doesn't mean we should squeeze every single drop out of the small progress that was made and abuse the patent system that was developed for times with much greater amount of innovation, when the strict patent system was still needed in order to reward inventors.
Now that innovation is rare and 95% is just natural progress/improvement and combinations of existing technologies, there should a different kind of protection granted in place.
Fix it !
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Re: I have a CD of a 1995 PC Answers CD magazine
Yes, but the patent is a continuation in part of a patent filed June 8, 1994.
Prior art should be found before this date, even preferrably 1 year before in a marketed product (that is June 7, 1993)
The 1995 PC Answers CD is not old enough.
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Mixed Media
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Re: Mixed Media
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who
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Even if...
I say any patent that uses a term as loose as "bi-directional channel" should be rewritten to be more specific.
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time for prior art..
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Re: time for prior art..
If most of the companies being sued can't show prior art, I'd be surprised. This technology was around in the '80's, before CD's were capable of being used as a medium for links.
I built distributed systems that probably qualify; we used floppies.
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Go check out their 'patent portfolio'
http://www.acaciatechnologies.com/patentportfolio.htm
This one really had me laughing.
"COMPACT DISK
The patent, currently being reexamined by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, covers certain systems for recording and playing compact disks containing compressed audio data utilizing certain data-compression methods. The CD player technology, consisting in part of a CD drive that reads MPEG Layer-3 (MP3) compressed digital audio data recorded on a CD, and an integrated circuit chip which decompresses the data and produces a non-compressed audio output, is commonly found in DVD and CD players."
LOL, riiiiiiight.
If you do to their web page, and look - you'll even find they tried to patent '2D Bar Codes'. They almost act like they are begging people to invest, most likely they need the money for all the court fees. So they can patent other people's stuff and then sue for it.
Can you say fraud?
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Better use of crazy
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Re: Better use of crazy
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Re: Better use of crazy
Number 18. You broke your guaruntee. You will hear from my lawyers within the week.
No, i am not Andrew Cave. Although if i were andrew cave I would still say that.... im not.
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Patent office?
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Hold your breathe
Everyone at Acacia (and the RIAA, MPAA and any politically-motivated religous organization... and Sony) owe me $10,000 per individual for an annually renewable license, or face direct violation of this patent. ;-)
Those holding their breathe will not be considered in violation.
Everyone is grand-fathered in ;-)
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Hold your breathe
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Amazon
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Acacia shows why..
I hand my head in shame also to see such a capable country allow this company to exist and not pull its license and disband the whole farce.
I agree there is enough prior art or for most of their patents something to prove they wont win a snowballs chance in hell at actually getting one of these through to the finish.
I think I am going to launch a all out assualt on this company until they are skulking away from the entire nations criticism. I will get their employees to leave and any funding they seek I intend on telling those agencies/groups/companies/individuals that as a 20yr I.T. veteran this comapny is actually...
Getting capital to pay large salaries to their corporate execs to pursue thin air and golf each day while dangling hopes of a fat pay off.
They are commiting crime and will be exposed for whom they are. Watch for the opposition web site comming soon!
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Vent on the USPTO
http://www.uspto.gov/main/contacts.htm
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Software Patents
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Didn't we go off on these people already?
This patented technology generally relates to transmitting digital content to wireless devices, such as cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players and laptop computers, including wireless systems that deliver digital content, such as images, graphics, photographs, image-embedded e-mail and facsimiles. Among the primary applications for this technology are mobile phone picture messaging and email/fax delivery."
Directly from there website, they own the patent on txt messaging.
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Where can we submit prior art examples.
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They've Already Obtained Settlements Over This
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Re: They've Already Obtained Settlements Over This
and yes, yes before the lawyers all chime in I know that as a general rule it is inappropriate to expressly or impliedly threaten criminal proceedings for the purpose of settling a civil claim.)
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Re: Re: They've Already Obtained Settlements Over
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Acacia can sue MPAA
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Re: Acacia can sue MPAA
Not that this would be a bad thing.
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Yes, That's It!
"Brain, you're a genius! Oh, wait, no, no. What about prior art?"
"Pinky, the patent office is stupid. They will give you a patent for anything."
"Oh, right Brain. I forgot about that."
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Where does the insanity end?
Now, this time maybe different, if I know Uncle Larry (Larry Ellison) he will not take kindly to veiled threats from piss ant company like Arcadia. He just might spend a few hundred million to crush them, just to prove a point.
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Re: Where does the insanity end?
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Where to send Prior Art.
Write up as detailed a description as possible, citing names, dates, serial numbers, whatever.
http://www.pubpat.org/
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English
rediculous
dont
anymore (when you mean "any more")
breathe (when you mean "breath")
guaruntee
comming
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Amateur radio look out
I guess amateur radio is next. Amateur radio operators can transmit pictures and text messages with only a radio, computer, antenna, and electrical power. They also have been sending slow scan television images for 30 to 40 years so Acacia needs to get over itself and pull its head out of its six o'clock.(A$$)
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Price to Pay
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