Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

E-Mail Forwarding Patented, PTO Sued

Posted by chrisd on from the defining-a-new-bottom-of-that-barrel dept.

David Lee Ludwig writes "Earlier today, I ran across an article regarding an issued patent on e-mail forwarding. According to the president of the holding company, they're interested in making the technology open-source, however I fail to see where the innovation is. The full text of the patent (6427164) is available online." Sadly, we've run altogether too many patent stories of late. In related news, the PTO has been sued to stop shredding the original documents related to the patents. Read on for more on that... mgarraha writes "A Washington Post article reports that the National Intellectual Property Researchers Association is suing the US Patent and Trademark Office to stop them from destroying their archive of paper documents. NIPRA claims that PTO's new patent database is not good enough to go completely paperless. PTO had planned to begin disposal today, but they are still negotiating with the group that will take the paper off their hands."

9 of 165 comments (clear)

  1. They are almost saints by jukal · · Score: 5, Funny
    "All the software will be free and hopefully, open-source. Only the registration will be charged, and given the scale that we anticipate, we're looking at less than US$20 per year, with substantial discounts for students, etc."

    Now we have someone to continue Mother Teresa's work!

  2. So.... by k0ala · · Score: 3, Funny

    I wonder just who is going to get the patent on patenting things, and then satrt suing everyone? Or did someone already get that too? Leave it to the lawyers... We already know IBM beat you to it...

    US Patent on Using the Bathroom by IBM

    --
    "Hollowpoints: When you care enough to send the very best."
  3. on next.... by slayer99 · · Score: 2, Funny


    * Patent on automatic forwarding from URL to another

    * Patent on "Out of Office" autoreplies

    Actually, I wouldn't mind this last one. Hopefully people would stop using them.

    Mart.

    --
    Martin Brooks / Slayer99 #linux / UIN 2178117
  4. Re:Stupid patents by sconeu · · Score: 3, Funny

    Sorry, it's already been done :-), by Microsoft, of course.

    --
    General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
  5. Overflow address: cool! by tlambert · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yeah.

    Then I can sign up for a HotMail account, set an "overflow" address, and then send it crap until it turns into a pure forwarding address, after which I never, ever log into HitMail, ever again.

    I'm sure they'll really go for that idea:

    1) They get to pay to store as much useless crap as it takes to push the account over quota

    2) They don't get to sell my eyeballs to advertisers.

    3) ???

    4) Profit!!!

    -- Terry

  6. Re:Stupid patents by phunhippy · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yeah, and I'm going to patent the idea of making stupid jokes about patenting something bleedingly obvious on Slashdot every time the editors post a story like this

    Yeah umm..I think the trolls have PRIOR ART on that one :)

  7. Re:More Slashdot sensationalism by alexburke · · Score: 5, Funny

    "aimfiz69105" at hotmail.com has received zero spams in the past couple of years.

    Until about three minutes after you hit "Submit" and smacked your forehead. :P

  8. Re:More Slashdot sensationalism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Wouldn't the U.S. Postal Service have prior art?

    Gotta remember to preview. (Say what you like about UBB, at least it lets you edit your mistakes!)

  9. .forward by jonr · · Score: 3, Funny

    When was .forward first used? This is getting even sillier. PTO should be renamed Ministry Of Silly Ideas (ala Monty Python).