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Sun Files For Patent on Software Licensing Method

Posted by michael on from the deep-sigh dept.

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."

17 of 213 comments (clear)

  1. Patenting... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm curious, when are they going to patent the rogue patenting method?

    1. Re:Patenting... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You mean; A method of subverting the USTPO whereby the patent system designed to spur innovation is co-opted by a handful of established corporations to prevent competition from innovative upstarts and retain their profitablity now they feel threatened?

    2. Re:Patenting... by dead+sun · · Score: 4, Funny
      I'm curious, when are they going to patent the rogue patenting method?

      Come now, there's way too much prior art for that to be patentable.

      --
      If not now, when?
  2. Bleh by mfh · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yeah who would have thought Sun would change their behaviour after that famous settlement? I mean this patent reads like, "we are going to calculate how to make lots of money and double it by preventing others from doing the same".

    Schwartz did say that any money the patents generate will be donated to charities.

    Yeah, sure. What percentage? There is absolutely no way to qualify that shit, so I don't buy it. Business plays the charity card when they know the public image will take a hit from a particular action. The Cnet title reads "Sun's Schwartz guns for patent glories", not Sun donates 100% of patent earnings to Cancer cure or anything like that.

    --
    The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
  3. Sigh :~ by Greger47 · · Score: 4, Insightful
    I dont know what saddens me most, that they have the balls to submit an application for something so old and obvious like per employee pricing, or the fact that it actually has a pretty good chanse of beeing granted...

    /greger

    1. Re:Sigh :~ by Halo1 · · Score: 5, Insightful
      Maybe not so obvious
      Who cares about obviousness here? The problem here is not in the first place novelty or obviousness, but subject matter. Why on earth should one be allowed to patent a licensing method? What's in that for the economy as a whole? Are companies not going to create new licensing methods if they can't "protect their investments" in "inventing" new licensing methods?

      How far are we still away from patents on investment methods, savings formulas of banks, etc? Patents were never intended for things like this. Not everything you do has to be monopolisable. A monopoly per definition has negative effects, so it's only justifiable to voluntarily give one if the positive effects of what you ask in exchange outweigh it.

      There is not even a hint of proof they do so in case of patents like this one.

      --
      Donate free food here
  4. This is getting more ridiculous by the minute by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Does anybody else have the feeling that just when you read a story about a patent claim that is so absurd that you can hardly believe anyone would come up with it, let alone grant the patent and you think that it simply can't get any worse one of our beloved IT companies comes up with a patent claim that is even more ridiculous?

    How on earth the EU can contemplate bringing this braindead patent system to Europe is beyond me.

  5. What next ! by Dolphinzilla · · Score: 5, Funny

    Heck - what next, someone getting a patent on the combover ? Patenting of the combover

  6. Patent "sharing" with M$???? by mabhatter654 · · Score: 4, Insightful
    unfortunately, don't they have a shiny new cross license agreement with MS? so this is entirely useless against the ONE company that's trying to ram per cpu/per user/per conection/per application/per "window" program fees up our collective arses!!!

    In other words they're patenting it FOR MS to use, not to prevent MS from using it!!!!

  7. Better than "CPU" licencing by acomj · · Score: 4, Interesting

    A large data base company gave use prices based on Mhz of CPUs on the machine running the database (with a multiplier for Risc Cpus.) I thought that was inovative!

    But seriously, if you install more copies you pay more. This is called selling and shouldn't be patented.

  8. Charities?!? by ultrabot · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Schwartz did say that any money the patents generate will be donated to charities.

    Of course the money coming from licensing the patents doesn't matter - it's the chilling/killing effect it has on competitions that makes it sweet.

    MSFT could as well give all the patent revenue money to charities - hell, they could burn the money. The money from patents is peanuts, as long as it keeps the other guy down.

    --
    Save your wrists today - switch to Dvorak
  9. Obviousness by bfree · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Has the test of obviousness just been forgotten? I don't know which is worse either, the per user licensing or using "extra" faces on 3d representations of 2d objects to provide additional interfaces.

    Seeing as though Sun are saying they will donate any proceeds to charity makes me wonder if this is in fact a deliberate attempt to attack existing patent database and in particular the US PTO's ability to grant patents. Could they really seriously think these can fly?

    Prior art anyone? I know I've seen software sold on the basis of the number of people, and surely some of the previous 3d desktop efforts have done something like the notetaking example given for the 3d patent I mentioned above?

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    Never underestimate the dark side of the Source

  10. Sun, the charity from hell by fireman+sam · · Score: 4, Funny

    Quote: "Schwartz did say that any money the patents generate will be donated to charities."

    Translated: "We are evil, but we will do it in a good sort of way"

    --
    it is only after a long journey that you know the strength of the horse.
  11. The ultimate in irony by m00nun1t · · Score: 4, Funny

    The ultimate in irony? Choosing EFF as the charity to donate the money to.

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    Read reviews of shopping cart software
  12. You have 1 new message by maximilln · · Score: 5, Funny

    Relationship Change

    User SUN.COM has made you their foe.

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    +++ATHZ 99:5:80
  13. WTF by Y-Crate · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It seems Sun is attempting to patent multiplication.

    u * p = c

    U = # of users

    P = Price per user

    C = Cost

    It should be noted that a variation on this formula can also break any form of encryption on the net. :)

  14. WikiPriorArt by Famatra · · Score: 4, Interesting

    "Prior art anyone?"

    We need a WikiPriorArt like Wikipedia. So when you ask that you know where to go to check up. And if you do have prior art, you'd go there also and input the prior art.

    Also it could be used to publish ideas so they act as prior art against future patent ideas.