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Sun Files For Patent on Software Licensing Method
cft_128 writes "CNet writes that Sun Microsystems President Jonathan Schwartz has filed for three new patents, one of them on the companies per-employee software pricing plan. The pricing patent application was summarized: 'Method for licensing software to an entity, including determining a per-employee cost for the software, determining a number of employees of the entity, and determining a total licensing cost using the number of employees and the per-employee cost, wherein the total licensing cost comprises a software license for all employees of the entity and all customers of the entity.' The plan was introduced last year on Sun's Java Enterprise System, charging $100 per employee. Schwartz did say that any money the patents generate will be donated to charities."
In other words they're patenting it FOR MS to use, not to prevent MS from using it!!!! Amen, brother.
It would be the ultimate "business method" patent, a patent on the creation of software patents. Whoever was the first company to create and file a software patent has a clear claim to this one. The holder of this patent on patent making could then sue all other companies for creating software patents and the software patent nightmare would be hoist on its own patented petard.
Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
But when is someone going to patent the process of patenting? Then you could control what was patented.