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Verisign Granted DNS Lookup Patent
mattgick writes "The Register has a story on how verisign was granted the DNS lookup patent (U.S. Patent No. 6,560,634). Scripts which check to see if a domainname has been taken would be in violation with this patent. A discussion on this subject is going on over here."
The actual lookup isn't patented, it's just automatic lookups that are patented. This would be prior art if the actual lookup process was patented.
If the courts knew anything about computers, they would see structured programming as prior art for this. But, of course, something can be a new "invention" if a certain subcase is added. So, I should be able to patent "repetitive functions by a computing device used to search a file sharing network" and donate it to the RIAA to keep automated scripts from downloading from Kazaa.
Nope to obvious and already done. But apparently you CAN patent "a method of simultaneously looking up information, transparent to the user", of course with the exclusion that this would not involve looking up information regarding multiple DNS records with proposed system since that is now patented. Of course you would have to somehow prove that news portals do not constitute prior art before you turn around and collect royalties on the same portals
2) If so, how did they show this? If not, how did they get the patent?
3) How is it an original and inventive solution to a problem?
4) Does it cover any scripts that perform the task, or is it specifically a scripting solution that is patented? In other words, if I were to compile a binary to do the same thing, would this be a distinct solution and could I patent that please?
5) Do american lawyers/judges have as little understanding of how computer systems work as this suggests?
so the patent protects scripts that make multiple lookups transparent to the user (at least, according to the oh-so-trustworthy register). so just eliminate transparency: "looking up register.com" "looking up register.net" "looking up register.org" instead of not eliminating transparency: "looking up register" ouchies
Girls are strange. They don't come with a man page.
-- Michael Mattsson
Here is a big ole RTFA to you!
.com registration. However, Lynx most certainly checks .com, .edu, .net, and .org of the name you give. From the Register article, this would violate the patent. However, Lynx has been doing this for as long as I can remember, which is prior than 1998 (the year the patent was applied for). Prior art, anyone?
And here is a big ole RTFC[omment] and your own personal RTFA! When you type in just "slashdot", Mozilla and IE first try slashdot.com. They may try slashdot.net, slashdot.org, and slashdot.edu, if slashdot.com fails, but I can't tell right now because I don't know a domain name off the top of my head that doesn't have a corresponding
I think that the only people this will effect are spammers, domian name squatters and terrorists. In other words, criminals and criminals. It's a well-known fact that such scripts are traded in the secret spammer forums (with the original purpose of finding open SMTP ports), and are later modified by domain name 'bounty hunters' to find unused IPs. As much as I hate to say something good could come out of the whole DMCA debacle, if enforcing this patent can stop one piece of spam or one terrorist act, I have a hard time objecting!
That's an awfully large-sized brush you're using to paint us with, Anonymous Eurocoward.
You just made almost a dozen categorical, unconstructive criticisms of the populace of an entire country. Interesting how, if I were to write something similar about "Arabs" or "Chinese people," I'd be accused of intolerance of even racism. But it remains ever-popular and completely OK to say things like "All Americans are nuts." Incredible. This is the attitude that many Americans (myself included) find so off-putting -- that somehow intolerance and prejudice is bad, except when it's directed towards Americans.
I'm not saying the USA doesn't have problems, I'm just saying that your snobbish, prejudiced attitude is not going to help us solve them.
And your comment "and even the colo(u)rful language they've brutally raped"... I can't even begin to understand what you mean by this idiotic statement. English has always been an "open source" language -- evolving, changing, adapting and improving with its times and settings. There is no central committee regulating the English language, unlike, say, French.
so what if you're going to get modded to a flamebait "-2". if you believe so strongly against the US log yourself in, and them tell me what you think. if you are swayed in your opinions so easily that a movie can change your view of hate to pity, i pity you. and as an american i will respond to your statement.
...and even the colo(u)rful language they've brutally raped.
Fuck...the US.
slow down there son, it's not our fault one of our companies patented this. clam down
Their patent legislation
yes, this is a sad state and something horribly worng with the united states. there are citizens fight this every day and i really am against software patents in particular. it's unfair and unjust, i would like it changed as well
Their DMCA + enforcements
Their RIAA, MPAA, etc.
Again, i wish i could argue with you, but i feel strongly against these as well
Their Microsoft-style arrogant worldwide trusts and other übergreed corporations
now what does this mean? just because you use the word "microsoft" in a sentence doesn't mean whatever you are describing is bad or evil. our "ubergreed" corporations? the ones that made it possible for you to be on that box you are typing on today? if they are so bad, why do you use their technology?
Their "justice" system, giving justice just for rich white men
I honestly don't find the justice that the rich white men recieve as justice. the ones stealing from other americans by lying on quarterly reports just so they can sell their stocks high and not tried fairly. an uber-rich black man got away with urdering his ex wife. that's not justice either. our justice system does deliver justice, but your example makes it appear as if stealing and getting away with it is just. how?
Their gun laws
what about them? we are allowed to own them? what is so unappealing about our right to bear arms? sure criminals can get thier hands on them, but i'd rather live free with less security then all the security in the world being governed closely.
Their violency and their wars
our violency? we learned that from menbers of the EU. france and germany have fought for hundreds of years. we even help the french out a couple times. we didn't create violence, but we are not the only ones using it.
Their presidents and other politicians
how... HOW do you find this an argument to "Fuck" the us? what about our presidents and politicians? we have known for years politicians are sneaky and lie. most of our horrible joke float around this concept.
Their constitution
if you for one second are going against the constitution of the united states, you are a utter moron. what is wrong with our constitution? it guarantees liberty, freedom, justice. it's not our consitution that is wrong it's how it's being used, or the lack thereof. have you even read it? it's a pretty good deal that enables me to live my life the way i wnat it. The constitution is what makes america great. not our money, not our military, not our horrible rock music. it's the constitution. i stand by the constitution my forefathers wrote before i stand behind my current leader.
Their culture
our culture? which one? american is a place of many cultures of many people. it's not just one "pop" mtv culture -- there are many other way s to experience life aside from the glitz of music tlevision.
Their hypocrisy and their stupidity
how for one second do you find english colo(u)rful? it's an ugly germanic language. latin languages make so much more sence and have a beauty and a flow that feels like water coming off your tounge. as for our hipocrisy -- there are 300,000,000 of us. it's easy for half to say one thing and the other half to do another.
They're all just nuts.
can't argue. we are a little coo c
WTPOUAWYHTTOTWPA
What's the point of using acronyms when you have to type out the whole phrase anyways?
That is exactly what's happening. I've got a friend who has worked for many years in the patent office, and he tells me that the senior management appointed by the Bush administration has made it known that you can be disciplined and potentially fired for rejecting too many patents (presumably because patents are "good for business."
The person I know told me a tale about having to go to the mat to reject a particularly bad application, but he still got serious grief for it, and was on the road to being disciplined until his supervisor stepped in and supported the rejection on the merits. This was a ridiculously bad application, BTW, but if his supervisor hadn't decided to stick his own neck out, that would have likely been one more bad patent on the books...
Is it any wonder that so many bad patents are showing up?
About two years ago I got into the "game" of buying up expired domain names, simply for fun. THere was an expired name I wanted and I got hooked on watching http://www.namewinner.com/ and other such ebay-style domain name bidding services. Over the last two years the big stink seems to be Verisign was pouty because namewinner and other such services (enom, snapnames, etc.) were making some big $$$ of of expired names. AFAIK, it was something like a grand to get into enoms "expired domain name club" just to be able to bid on names. I think playgirl.com went for something like 25k on namewinner.com.
Another thing verisign was pissed off about was that these clubs knew when domain names would be released, so you'd have a few servers *pounding* verisign for a certain amount of time, trying to get the domain names. Also, the various individual attempts by doing a who query every 5-10 minutes to see if it expired couldn't have helped either.
On one hand, I don't blame them, for the good of everyone. On the other hand, Verisign owns snapnames (or is affiliated with), and signed some of the bigger domain name contracts (ultsearch.com transferred his names over if i recall correctly) for what I'm sure amounted to special privilieges when registering domain names.
I stay away from Verisign. Them being a "trust provider" is a joke. I don't trust them enough to do my whois lookups on their site just because I'm not 100% certain they're not monitoring all the domain names that people search for (and that they won't sell that list to the highest bidder).
jay
US Patent 6,368,227: Method of Swinging on a Swing I truly don't know how they didn't get busted for prior art on this, or obvousness. According to patent lawyers I know, the guy got away with it because it's an exceptionally well-written patent.
and US Patent 3,216,423: APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE BIRTH OF A CHILD BY CENTRIGUGAL FORCE, which I think is actually very non-obvious, and I doubt there's much prior art on it. But I'm not surprised it was never productized.
blah blah blah
More info here:
What could Picasso patent?I think you've been reading one too many ESR rants^H^H^H^H^Harticles, friend. ;)
The key word in that quote is "essential liberty". Life is an essential liberty and it's one that I am not willing to give up.
Especially not so that a few would-be script kiddies can ping-flood some hapless b0xen.
Having a few more laws in place to manage the out of control scripting activities in place on the www is a long way from violating our countries ideals. Indeed, since this country was founded by christians for christians, I think that by taking any steps to eliminate the threat of muslim terror, we're acting fully in line with our countries ideals and traditions.
lastly, there's the economic factor. Anyone who has watched the yo-yo that is the stock market over the last few quarters knows that stability is prerequisite for a functioning free market. and you cannot provide that stability without both laws, and the necessary (and sometimes necessarily covert) officers in place to enforce them.
I do agree with you, however. Homeland Security IS a joke; one that has the enemies of America in stitches...at your expense, and mine.
Without more resources (such as funding, equipment and legislation), we may find that homeland security has gone from being a joke to become a useless token gesture.
Quite likely we'll find that out by watching the muslim flag fly over the whitehouse!
And pretty much every web browser out there..
..
And they have been around MUCH longer than the patent filing date of 1998!
Go download an old version of netscape prior to 1998, or a copy of lynx proir to 1998..
Type in a URL location of say.. "theregister" (example in the article.) the browser searches.. theregister.com, and it it's not found, theregister.org, and theregister.net..
I read the patent and i'm not sure if its really that big of a deal. It might cause a bit of problems, but the patent is pretty specific on how its done.
Search is started
Multiple requests are sent to DNS servers
Information is sent back
Information is formatted for the user (this has to be formatted in hypertext markup language according to the 2nd and 10th claims, probably others)
Add in many other things that I couldn't really understand, but it seems to be pretty specific.
So, its kinda like me patenting a method of searching for a hotel room on the third tuesday of every odd month, but skipping every 7th month.
If I made a page that had 10 buttons on it, with a box at the top for me type a domain name into, and each one of the buttons searched a different DNS server, but I had to hit these buttons manually, would that be part of this patent?
Its just too bad that it takes the patent office 6 years to approve of a patent, especially when it comes to the computer industry, where things can change drastically in much shorter times then 6 years..