Patent police raid booths at CeBit trade show
,----[ Quote ]
| The police didn't name which people or companies were targeted, but they did
| say the alleged patent violations deal with devices that have MP3, MP4, or
| digital video broadcast functions; DVD players; and blank CDs and DVDs. They
| managed to fill 68 boxes with gadgets, documents, and advertising material
| and took down the identities of nine people, most of whom were reportedly
| cooperative.
|
| The raid was a response to a rising number of "criminal complaints by the
| holders of patent rights in the run-up to CeBit," and the patent holders had
| warned the accused companies in "good time" about their lack of licenses,
| police said, according to the AP.
`----
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9887955-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
How imperialistic. They tell foreigners how to develop and trade. They created
a monster.
CeBIT 2008: Alleged patent troll Sisvel throws wrench in works of several
smartphone and digital media player makers over MP3 licensing
,----[ Quote ]
| Italy-based Sisvel S.p.a., holder of a somewhat controversial MP3 patent, has
| had the CeBIT 2008 booths of several Windows Mobile smartphone and digital
| media player makers shut down over allegations that the devices of the makers
| infringe on its patents.
`----
http://www.digitimes.com/telecom/a20080306VL202.html
There's also this (UK):
BlackBerry inventor escapes UK patent fees
,----[ Quote ]
| Research In Motion (RIM), the company behind BlackBerry mobile devices, will
| not have to pay patent licence fees to a rival email software company after
| the High Court ruled that the rival's UK patent was invalid.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/06/rim_patent_ruling/
Related:
Change in UK-IPO Practice regarding patents for computer programs
,----[ Quote ]
| In his judgment, Kitchin J has now clarified the law in this area, and
| decided that patents should, as a result of applying the test formulated in
| Aerotel/Macrossan, be allowed to protect a computer program if, but only if,
| the program implements a patentable invention.
`----
http://media.netpr.pl/notatka_93225.html
Interview with Richard M. Stallman
,----[ Quote ]
| It is important to know this because we will always face pressure, from those
| who are powerful and would like to take away our freedom, to surrender our
| freedom—and they frequently offer us something attractive in exchange. For
| instance, B’liar wanted to abolish the Rights of Englishmen, and to serve his
| American master, Bush, faithfully; so he offered Britons “protection” from
| this or that, plus the imagined idea that he influences his master on their
| behalf through the “special relationship”.
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
`----
http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/articles/interview_with_richard_stallman
Patents on Computer-Implemented Inventions: UK Courts Inching Towards EPO
Positions?
,----[ Quote ]
| As a consequence of this particular piece of UK case law, the UK Patent
| Office UK-IPO had established a practice of flatly rejecting patent claims to
| computer program products contrary to the practice of the EPO. Last year,
| five companies, namely Astron Clinica Limited, Cyan Holdings Plc, Inrotis
| Technologies Limited, Software 2000 Limited and Surf Kitchen, Inc., INTERNAL
| LINKhad appealed against this restrictive practice.
|
| Now, and this seems to be quite surprising, the table appears to be turned
| again: On the well-known EXTERNAL LINKIPKat Blog, EXTERNAL LINKMr David
| Pearce reports that the Honourable Mr Justice Kitchin has ruled yesterday
| that the current UK Patent Office practice of flatly rejecting patent claims
| to computer program products is wrong.
|
| [...]
|
| Mr Pearce characterises himself as being quite amazed by the judgment because
| before the recent judgement he had been convinced that, under the system of
| UK case law, there was no room for manoeuver after Aerotel/Macrossan, and he
| asks the important question as to whether the UK-IPO can simply all go back
| to falling into line with the EPO, or if they will judge that this one is
| worth going further on.
`----
http://www.ipjur.com/2008/01/patents-on-computer-implemented.php3
High Court allows computer program patent claims
,----[ Quote ]
| In conclusion then, Kitchin J found that the appeals should be allowed. Each
| application concerned a computer related invention where the examiner had
| allowed claims to, in effect, a method performed by running a suitably
| programmed computer and to a computer programmed to carry out the method.
`----
http://ipkitten.blogspot.com/2008/01/high-court-allows-computer-program.html
Court gives hi-tech companies the power to patent software
,----[ Quote ]
| Hi-tech companies will be able to patent software programs after a key court
| decision that may move the UK closer to Europe in its treatment of
| computerrelated inventions.
|
| The High Court yesterday said that the Patent Office was incorrectly applying
| the law in automatically rejecting claims for computer programs, in a case
| brought by four small British businesses.
`----
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4732f070-cbb2-11dc-97ff-000077b07658.html
|
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