Facebook Sued Over Patent On Distributing Personal Info On A Network
from the no,-really dept
As you probably know by now, as a company gets bigger and more successful it means that they will certainly be sued for patent infringement. This isn't because they somehow "took" or "copied" someone else's ideas. But because there are so many ridiculous and overly broad patents out there that some jealous patent holder will seek to make some easy money with a lawsuit against a much more successful company. Facebook is already facing a few such lawsuits, including one where it's been ordered to reveal its entire source code.The latest such lawsuit involves a tiny company, WhoGlue, who holds a patent 7,246,164 on "Distributed personal relationship information management system and methods." And, of course, WhoGlue has decided that Facebook infringes and needs to pay up. There are all sorts of problems with this kind of lawsuit. You have a patent on an obvious concept, that Facebook clearly developed independently (as have many others). And now Facebook will need to go spend on a legal defense. What a waste of resources.
Once again, we see that those who can't compete, sue.
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Filed Under: patents, social networks
Companies: facebook, whoglue
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Same goes here, Go stuff yourselves in a hole and fill with your WHOGLUE and go away losers!
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Onus
Ie Facebook don't have to prove they are doing something differently, WHOGLUE have to prove Facebook are infringing.
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Re: Onus
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Prior Art
Facebook started in 2003 and has offered its current service since 2006. This patent is dated July 2007 surely it's a simple case of prior art.
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Re: Prior Art
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Not so tiny
Yes - but they're 30% owned by Siemens so maybe not so tiny really....
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Prior art
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"An information management system, method and computer program code and means for facilitating communications between user members of an online network"
Okay then, let's see some source code.
Am I missing a couple pages from that patent link or do they not actually provide any information about how such a system would ACTUALLY be put together?
Sure, they give a vague description and some generic wireframes of their management system but that doesn't require them to have any real idea of how to actually get such a thing working.
Essentially, their description just describes a process of exchanging information on a network. Granted they do it in an overly technical sounding and obscure way, but that's all it is. Right? First user enters some info into a form, second user has access to it, after having been authorized by the first user. Is that the short and sweet of it or am I grossly mistaken?
Seems to me that just about every web site that has two-way communication would be in violation of this in some fashion because all they are doing is describing how a computer network functions.
Please somebody tell me that I'm dead wrong and clarify for me.
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stop the shilling!!!
You obviously have never invented anything, never filed a patent application, or fought to get it allowed. If you had you would never make such idiotic statements. Investing years of your life and all your savings to only find others using your invention while all you can do is sit and watch is maddening (watch A Flash of Genius). It is the farthest thing from "easy money". Inventors are overall better off buying a lottery ticket and saving the rest.
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Re: stop the shilling!!!
So please.. tell me what you would call a process that has no concrete implementation? I call it an idea... if I patents all of my "software inventions" sure I would have patents. I'm told all the time "you should get a patent on this!". I cant think of anything worse than contributing to the system thats destroying free markets all over the world. Frankly, you have no scruples. You're nothing but a lobbyist and your lack of originality as well as your inability to communicate, implies that your not very good at that.
If you understood how damaging these silly patents are to your precious patent system, you would be all FOR removing them from the realm of patentable subject mater. But thats not what you really want, you don't give a rats ass about patents, you care only about the "inventor" because they feed you.
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Facebook
1) Delete your account, only deactivate it, which should be illegal. If you have to ask why you are an ignorant twit;
2) Contact any of the facebook administration staff to complain or even ask a question.
They have more info on people around your country and the globe than any company like the CIA and can pinpoint where people connect whenever or however they want, without having to respect any of the privacy laws that they claim to go by. The simple reason for that is that the average human cannot even afford to take them to court, as simply opening a case against them would start at minimum 100 000$.
But in my opinion it's just another misleading and fashist organisation implanted by the US Government, or should I say Washington. That being said, they keep giving the people food and entertainment, interaction, and we are happy so long as we're not at the bottom. Your kids will thank you and your ignorance one day when they realize how deep in the sh*t we are.
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what makes the author say that the concept is "obvious". It is obvious now but was it obvious back then??
what makes the author say that facebook developed the idea "independently"?? corporate thieves use sophisticated technologies to steal ideas and invention. NO person can say with 100% certainty that an idea was developed independently especially when the idea is been used by a high-profile company that had failed to patent the idea.
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WhoGlue Patent
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