Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Charlie Northrup's One-Man Patent Grab Continues

Posted by timothy on from the and-now-with-only-one-eye-open dept.

FirstEdition writes "Will this never end! Linux Business & Technology writes that Charlie Northrup, the guy in New Jersey whose prior art on what looks to be Web services dates back to 1994 and appears to trump anybody else's IP, has gotten another patent. Of course, he has transferred the IP to a spin off company populated mostly by lawyers. More details here."

6 of 278 comments (clear)

  1. woo hoo by DanThe1Man · · Score: 4, Funny

    Charlie doesn't like to talk in terms of suing people, but says it may be advantageous to Web services players such as IBM, Microsoft, BEA, Sun and the service providers to have a license

    Woo hoo! Lawyer fight! I can't wait to watch this on court TV. I wonder which side will get Johnny Cochran

    1. Re:woo hoo by Telastyn · · Score: 4, Funny

      They should just have a draft. Whichever company had the worst record last year gets the first pick this year of Law School seniors [and choice undergrads going pro early].

      Of course there's always the usual signing problems and draft day trades...

  2. In other news... by YahoKa · · Score: 4, Funny

    A patent on the "Use of Common Sense to Solve Real-World Problems" was recently granted.

  3. Wait! I've got a patent! by flyneye · · Score: 4, Funny

    just got it,it's the Charlie Northrup action figure.
    It flouts the constitutional spirit of patents,its head spins round and round,spits up pea soup and cries f**k me!f**k me!f**k me!
    realistic skin and two openings(somewhat indistinguishable from each other)

    --
    *Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
  4. Re:Any company by WindBourne · · Score: 4, Funny

    Cool. Does that include the US government?

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  5. Re:uhh by istartedi · · Score: 4, Funny

    The worst part about these kinds of stories is the avalanche of posts making bad jokes ("I'm going to patent air! I'm going to patent the alphabet!"),

    Don't worry. I hold the patent on making jokes about patenting things that can't be patented, and will be contacting the aforementioned parties shortly.

    --
    For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?