Slashdot Mirror
McAfee Granted Far-Reaching Spam-Control Patent
Titusdot Groan writes "Infoworld is reporting that Network Associates, makers of McAfee, have been granted a broad anti-spam patent. The patent covers "compound filters, paragraph hashing, and Bayes rules" and was filed in December of 2002. The patent appears to affect Spam Assassin, Spam Bayes and many other anti-spam products and services. As an aside Paul Graham's "A Plan for Spam" was published August 2002."
...if they can accept this then there is still hope for my application: "Use of the letter E (used in upper or lower context)."
Perhaps McAfee is secretly in league with spammers, so that this patent will help eliminate competition, increasing the overall number of unwanted messages delivered. Thus McAfee benefits, as do spammers whose audience is increased.
I'm going to patent "a method to patent methods" in Europe. Of course, as patenting business methods is currently void, this patent would not work - yet. But once the new legislation is there, I'd have a great patent! And, as NAI's anti-spam patent proves: there's no such thing as prior art in software and/or business methods. Great.
my other sig is a 500 page novel
Can somebody explain me why the "logo" for this article on Slashdot is "fork, knife and spoon" (in German we call it "Besteck" but I know that the english language has no equivalent for it)?
It's a kind of joke, but I know that the German language has no equivalent for it.
Bleh, enough of that! I need a coffee .. and a shower.
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
...that if McAffe can get a patent for anti-spam techniques then I should be able to get one as well for spam techniques. That would enable me to sue every spammer even if spamming in some countries is not treated as illegal, but patent violation surely is. :-)
Just gr*at. I can't *v*n us* th* <blockquot*> tag to quot* your original m*ssag*.
I gu*ss I'll n**d to chang* my signatur* -- Th*r*'s no l*tt*r form*rly known as * in t*am...
For better evil, use SCO instead (Limited time offer: Just $699!).
Money for nothing, pix for free
Did he ever write "An Essay towards solving a Problem in the Doctrine of Chances on the Internet"? Didn't think so! You loose! *ka-ching*!
...all your Bayes are belong to us.
boakes.org
All due respect to your having worked there, but it's pronounced "ASS'hat"
Well, it's lawyers who file and handle the patents and lawyers that fight the patents. Maybe they are just setting themselves up for more business.
Reminds me of this Comic Strip...
I live in Soviet Canuckistan you insensitive clod!
Should be easy to challenge. Not just on prior art, but on the grounds that if it works so @%#&_* well, why is my inbox so )^@%^&* full after using their software?
I am confident its pronounced "Make A Fee" by most people who have seen their priced ;-}
Sent from my ASR33 using ASCII
Pay a prolific spammer to send out a bulk message that is severely critical of the Church of Scientology.
Now that's a fight I'd LOVE to see.