Found this a fascinating report
http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/07/ ... nts-attack
OT - software patents and very interesting NPR report
Moderators: Bill_Abner, ScoopBrady
Re: OT - software patents and very interesting NPR report
That scares me and angers me at the same time.
Funny thing about those Nortel patents - I wonder what fraction of them was funded by the Canadian government and are now in private hands.
This also reminds me of a funny email we got when I was working at Alcatel. It was a blurb about innovation at Alcatel. If I remember correctly, it described three forms of innovation. The third form was labelled "Innovation through acquisition".
So has NASA been involved in many patent suits? With all the private co-operation, could it become more vulnerable to the consequences of its partners getting sued?
Funny thing about those Nortel patents - I wonder what fraction of them was funded by the Canadian government and are now in private hands.
This also reminds me of a funny email we got when I was working at Alcatel. It was a blurb about innovation at Alcatel. If I remember correctly, it described three forms of innovation. The third form was labelled "Innovation through acquisition".
So has NASA been involved in many patent suits? With all the private co-operation, could it become more vulnerable to the consequences of its partners getting sued?
Re: OT - software patents and very interesting NPR report
Yeah I heard this on This American Life.
Intellectual Ventures develops some patents on its own but buys the vast majority of the ones in its portfolio.
Then they wait for someone to make successful product and see if they can apply their patents against them. It doesn't have to be a blockbuster success, it could be a couple of guys who build up a business on the side and then it becomes successful enough that they could quit their regular jobs and work full time on it.
Unfortunately, a lot of these patent battles are decided in some district court in Texas, not exactly the epicenter of software and technology.
Gates is taking his billions and trying to eradicate malaria or encouraging other billionaires to give through his charitable foundation. But this guy and Paul Allen want to make more money by extorting startups.
Intellectual Ventures develops some patents on its own but buys the vast majority of the ones in its portfolio.
Then they wait for someone to make successful product and see if they can apply their patents against them. It doesn't have to be a blockbuster success, it could be a couple of guys who build up a business on the side and then it becomes successful enough that they could quit their regular jobs and work full time on it.
Unfortunately, a lot of these patent battles are decided in some district court in Texas, not exactly the epicenter of software and technology.
Gates is taking his billions and trying to eradicate malaria or encouraging other billionaires to give through his charitable foundation. But this guy and Paul Allen want to make more money by extorting startups.