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UK Firm Patents Software Downloads

Posted by timothy on from the handy-things-patents-thousands-of-uses dept.

spike1 writes "The Register has a story about BTG (British Technology Group) acquiring a patent on software downloads ... If this is one area of tech that's not covered by prior art, I don't know what is. Although, the Reg doesn't include a link to the actual patents, out-law.com is also carrying the story and contains links to the patents, and looking at some of their patent synopses, it looks like it's a pretty broad brush."

4 of 56 comments (clear)

  1. IIRC, this stupid patent has already been patented by bluephone · · Score: 3, Interesting

    IIRC, didn't Symantec get a patent on this very idea a year ago, relating to it's LiveUpdate system, but promised not to enfore it? I mean, it was a stupid patent then, but apparently the bar is even lower now. Not only can you patent things you didn't invent and with plenty of prior art, you can patent stuff that's already been patented!

    --
    jX [ Make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler. - Einstein ]
  2. microsoft by qtothemax · · Score: 2, Interesting

    From the article: The UK's Daily Telegraph, which broke the story, speculates that Microsoft - which delivers millions of security updates for its software over the Net - is one of the firms on BTG's hit list.

    Since Microsoft is involved, I see 3 possible outcomes to this:
    1) Microsoft challenges the patent and wins
    2) Microsoft buys BTG and does not enforce the patent. Everyone lives happily ever after.
    3) Microsoft buys BTG and milks the patents for all they are worth. Everyone looses.
    If microsoft is forced to pay royalties, I have no doubt they will try to buy out BTG, and since BTG is not a software company, they will probaly not face many regulatory roadblocks. From the examples of patches and update downloads, possibly this only applies to automatic updates to things like windows or virus scanners. If MS does end up owning the patent, they will probly use it to put Symantic and co out of buisness, because they could then offer thier new antivirus product we've been hearing about at a lower price, and take a chunk of whatever symantic/mcafee still sells. Hopefully, this stupid patent will just be thrown out, and that whole mess can be avoided.

    1. Re:microsoft by Dachannien · · Score: 3, Interesting

      What I'd like to see is, shall we say, option 1a:

      Microsoft challenges the patent and eventually wins, but uses its courtroom manipulation mojo to make the trial last as long as possible, thus causing BTG to collapse into bankruptcy under the weight of its own idiocy. Maybe that will be a bit of incentive to stop further patent stupidity from other firms.

  3. Sensational Slashdot headlines as always by MegaT · · Score: 2, Interesting

    If you take a look at the second link and investigate the patents, you'll see it's really not as simple as 'downloading software'. Although it's plain to see that BTG are a bunch of immoral patent-grabbing bastards, it looks as though these particular patents might just be specific enough to circumvent your scorn. Maybe just.