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[News] USPTO and Ilk Officially Become MPAA/BSA-like Bullies

  • Subject: [News] USPTO and Ilk Officially Become MPAA/BSA-like Bullies
  • From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Fri, 07 Mar 2008 07:43:09 +0000
  • Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy
  • Organization: Freelance
  • User-agent: KNode/0.10.4
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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