Patent Troll Sues Facebook Over Facebook

[jkflipflop98]

[citation][nom]belardo[/nom]UH... by that description... that pretty much covers the internet as a whole. Its like they are trying to put a patent on the wheel or dirt.[/citation]

*Runs to the patent office*

 

[TeraMedia]

This era is gonig to be known as the era of highway robbery through spurious patent awards. It will get worse before it gets better. If RTSI had a social network in place at the time of submittal, then that might be something. If they were licensing their IP to 3rd parties at the time of submittal, then even that might be something. But squatting on an idea so that you can lie in wait to ream whoever manages to be the most profitable while stepping on your land mine is just BS. That doesn't help anyone.

I bet $12B can buy an awful lot of interesting contracts. I wonder if Zuckerberg ever considered that path with these guys.

 

[LORD_ORION]

Here is a nice article that I think sums the problem up nicely.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1704/the_trouble_with_patents.php

Main points:
-It will cost at least a million bucks to defend yourself in a patent suit.
-The patent office has incentive to push through as many patents as possible, since that is how they get paid, so this will never change.

Personally, I think software patents have infringed on things that should be protected under copyright, and not under patents, and are utterly ridiculous.

eg: Microsoft holds the patent for the software based phone... which is pretty much a phone, but running through software.... I mean really... that is ludicrous. Patenting virtual versions of things from real life.

 

[wikiwikiwhat]

LOL, this happens all the freakin time. With so much more than just internet and pop culture stuff. A lot of these lawyers do this to just retire, well before they should.

Ask yourself, if you were in their shoes, wouldn't you do it too? Don't get all moral. Don't act like you are a fan of any megasite like facebook. The amount they get will barely put a small dent in Facebook because they will just settle. Still will be huge but Facebook is worth sooo much money right now.

 

[pale paladin]

step one: find patent trolls
Step two: shoot patent trolls
step three: feel better about the world now that patent trolls are fertilizer.

 

[dimar]

I wonder if I can patent a process of inventing. This way, anybody or anything invents anything, they owe me cash right away.

 

[shanky887614]

[citation][nom]pale paladin[/nom]step one: find patent trollsStep two: shoot patent trollsstep three: feel better about the world now that patent trolls are fertilizer.[/citation]

lol

 

[cookoy]

"Prior art" should cover my a** before someone tries to sue me for being me.

 

[Guest]

This should be Facebook's response to their claims: mail them $1 and a box of tissues. They can drown in their tears at their failure to be useful at anything.

 

[teodoreh]

If I was Zuckerberg , I would call a meeting with the patent-troll company CEO and lawyers, and when they'd expect to listen the counter-offer, I would laugh like hell on their faces..

 

[kinggremlin]

[citation][nom]jkflipflop98[/nom]*Runs to the patent office*[/citation]

Way late on that one. Someone already patented the wheel way back in 2001.


http://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/auspac/07/02/australia.wheel/

 

[livebriand]

I patented the patent. Suing in 3....2....1....

 

[jamie_1318]

[citation][nom]dimar[/nom]I wonder if I can patent a process of inventing. This way, anybody or anything invents anything, they owe me cash right away.[/citation]

If you actually managed to do that you would be busy making real inventions, or so I would think.

 

[slabbo]

i'm surprised someone hasn't already patented programming logic. that way when any software gets written they are infringing on that patent regardless of which programming language was used.

 

[didgetmaster]

Wow. This is supposed to be a high tech site frequented by technical people, but judging by the comments no one here has a clue about inventing or how our patent system actually works.

 

[bmerigan]

[citation][nom]belardo[/nom]UH... by that description... that pretty much covers the internet as a whole. Its like they are trying to put a patent on the wheel or dirt.[/citation]
Here's an approved patent for a wheel made in 2001:
http://www.ipmenu.com/archive/AUI_2001100012.pdf

 

[bmerigan]

[citation][nom]bmerigan[/nom]Here's an approved patent for a wheel made in 2001:[/citation]
And my link doesn't paste in - awesome.
http://www.ipmenu.com/archive/AUI_2001100012.pdf
http://www.ipmenu.com/archive/AUI_2001100012.pdf

 

[kyuuketsuki]

[citation][nom]bmerigan[/nom]And my link doesn't paste in - awesome.http://www.ipmenu.com/archive/AUI_2001100012.pdf[/citation]While hilarious, that patent is a so-called "innovation" patent that is, apparently, granted without being examined. Before being able to commence litigation (or threaten litigation), the patent would have to be examined, and, I assume/hope, would be thrown-out.

 

[richboyliang]

Just let these things go on as the trolls please, the court fees will be worth it

 

[xerroz]

I hope Facebook loses. I will always support any lawsuit, no matter how frivolous against Facebook and Apple.