EFF Runs Patent-Busting Challenge

markclong writes "Every year numerous illegitimate patent applications make their way through the United States patent examination process without adequate review. The problem is particularly acute in the software and Internet fields where the history of prior inventions (often called "prior art") is widely distributed and poorly documented. As a result, we have seen patents asserted on such simple technologies as One-click online shopping (U.S. Patent No. 5,960,411.), Online shopping carts (U.S. Patent No. 5,715,314.), The hyperlink (U.S. Patent No. 4,873,662.). The EFF is hosting a patent busting project to fight the most egregious abuses of the patent system."

Comments

Next challenge - the slashdot dupe.

[Amiga Lover]

That's right, slashdot readers are mounting a "Dupe Busting Challenge".

However it's still being ignored.

Re:Next challenge - the slashdot dupe.

[Anonymous Coward]

That's right, slashdot readers are mounting a "Dupe Busting Challenge".

However it's still being ignored

Re:Next challenge - the slashdot dupe.

[Anonymous Coward]

That's right, slashdot readers are mounting a 'Dupe Busting Challenge'.

However it's still being ignored.

Come up with a means to find dubious patents

[CA_Jim]

And then slashdot could apply for a patent.

Algorithm for generating stupid E-patents

[Tablizer]

h = openFile("regular_business_behavior.txt");
while (w = readNextWord(h)) {
if (random(0.0,1.0) > 0.96) {
w = w + " using a computer ";
}
print(w);
}

Re:Algorithm for generating stupid E-patents

[Anonymous Coward]

You should patent this.

Re:An idea...

[Tablizer]

How about a Wiki-type thing that lists some previous art for patents that a watchdog group lists out?

But then they'll retaliate by patenting Wiki's :-)

this is good news for small software companies

[professorhojo]

hi all,

we are a small software company developing a new open instant messaging-based support application and i'm sure we are already "infringing" on many patents that would hold NO water if they were actually challenged.

http://www.qunu.com

Re:An idea...

[lewko]

How about a Wiki-type thing that lists some previous art for patents that a watchdog group lists out? Get some serious evidence and archive it in one place so the masses can check and see what patents they don't really have to pay attention to.

That's a great idea. Have you considered patenting it?

Patent no. 4,873,662

[akgoatley]

Closer inspection of the abstract of patent 4,873,662 reveals that:

Informaton for display at a terminal apparatus of a computer is stored in blocks the first part of which contains the information which is actually displayed at the terminal and the second part of which contains information relating to the display and which may be used to influence the display at the time or in response to a keyboard entry signal. For example, the second part of the block could include information for providing the complete address of an another block which would be selected by the operation of a selected key of the keyboard. The second part of the block could alternatively influence the format and/or color of the display at the terminal.

[Emphasis mine]
Actually it seems that as well as patenting the hyperlink, patent no. 4,873,662 could be construed as also patenting all of HTML!
-Ashton

Re:Patent no. 4,873,662

[MrMr]

The second part looks like the description of any wordprocessor document, from Word all the way to Troff and Tex.
That will be hard to fight in court: we'd have to do all the legal stuff with handwritten documents, to avoid infringement of the patent...

Re:An idea...

[Jonathunder]

what we need is a communications expert!

Someone who has mastered the shift key, perhaps? ;-)