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USPTO Lets Amazon Patent the "Social Networking System"
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| theodp writes "After shelling out a
| reported $90 million to buy PlanetAll in
| 1998, Amazon shuttered the site in 2000,
| explaining that 'it seemed really
| superfluous to have it running beside
| Friends and Favorites.' But years later in
| a 2008 patent filing, Amazon described the
| acquired PlanetAll technology to the USPTO
| in very Facebook-like terms. And on
| Tuesday, the USPTO issued U.S. Patent No.
| 7,739,139 to Amazon for its invention, the
| Social Networking System, which Amazon
| describes thusly: 'A networked computer
| system provides various services for
| assisting users in locating, and
| establishing contact relationships with,
| other users. For example, in one
| embodiment, users can identify other users
| based on their affiliations with
| particular schools or other organizations.
| The system also provides a mechanism for a
| user to selectively establish contact
| relationships or connections with other
| users, and to grant permissions for such
| other users to view personal information
| of the user. The system may also include
| features for enabling users to identify
| contacts of their respective contacts. In
| addition, the system may automatically
| notify users of personal information
| updates made by their respective
| contacts.' So, should Facebook CEO Mark
| Zuckerberg worry about Amazon opening a
| can of patent whup-ass?"
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http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/06/16/2233230/USPTO-Lets-Amazon-Patent-the-Social-Networking-System
Acacia Subsidiary Acquires Rights to Patents for Video and Software Technologies from a Leading International Research Institute
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| The patented technologies generally relate
| to the encoding of video and tracking of
| video objects as well as software covering
| operating systems and object-oriented
| development environments.
`----
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/acacia-subsidiary-acquires-rights-to-patents-for-video-and-software-technologies-from-a-leading-international-research-institute-2010-06-14?reflink=MW_news_stmp
Graham Taylor and Karsten Gerloff on free software/open source in Europe
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| Debate over the definition of an âopen
| standardâ has become a contentious one.
| Gerloff proposes that, âFor a standard to
| be open, it is key that it can be
| implemented by anyone, anywhere, without
| asking for permission.â This perspective
| was largely reflected in the European
| Interoperability Framework v.1 (2004),
| but appears to have been abandoned in a
| leaked second version in October, 2009.
| âThat was a key moment, when we saw how
| strong the lobby on the proprietary side
| is in Brussels,â Gerloff said.
`----
http://opensource.com/government/10/6/graham-taylor-and-karsten-gerloff-open-source-europe
Recent:
Patent Office Proposes Speed Lane (And Slow Lane) For Patents; Treating The Symptom, Not The Disease
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| Of course, none of this will help. It just
| means that companies with more money to
| spend will jump to the fast lane, clogging
| that fast lane, and lengthening the wait
| times for those who don't want to spend
| that much money. It's difficult to see how
| that helps. The real issue is vastly
| cutting back on what is considered
| patentable. Move way from having companies
| feeling the need to patent anything and
| everything and get them back to focusing
| on competing in the marketplace. If there
| must be a patent system, let it be limited
| to the rare cases where there is actual
| proof that the gov't granted monopoly
| makes sense (if those exist) and where
| there's no likelihood of independent
| invention coming up with the same thing at
| about the same time (a key point that
| should determine obviousness).
`----
http://techdirt.com/articles/20100603/1550369677.shtml
Google, US Patent Office Partner To Offer Bulk Data Downloads
http://searchengineland.com/google-us-patent-office-partnership-43458
Update: Patent office head describes three-track system
http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=225300287
USPTO unveils patent fast-track plan
http://www.inventorsdigest.com/?p=3808
PTO Proposes Pay to Play
http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2010/06/pto-proposes-pay-to-play.html
Patent Fast Track Proposed
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704515704575282951991894276.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_business
Coming Soon: A Faster Patent Application Process?
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2010/06/03/coming-soon-a-faster-patent-application-process/
Patent Office Proposes Pricey, Expedited Review
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=10820012
PTO Proposes Three-Track Patent Examination Process
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| The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
| Thursday unveiled a new initiative aimed
| at giving patent applicants more control
| over how quickly their applications will
| be processed.
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http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/06/pto-proposes-threetrack-patent.php
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