Microsoft Wins Hyperlink TV Pause Battle

TripMaster Monkey writes "The Register is running an interesting story on a patent recently granted to Microsoft. This patent, which covers 'pausing television programming in response to selection of hypertext link', among other things, has been in contention for over twelve years, and the language used in the patent reveals its age ('The Internet has recently exploded in popularity,' and, 'a computer user with a modem can get on-line.'). Despite its age, however, this patent, which covers 35 claims in all, will be of major importance in the impending IPTV battle in the States."

Comments

Is it the 90s again...

[matr0x_x]

I thought I read that Microsoft won something. It has been a long, long time since they've won anything... contracts, legal disputes, customer trust.

you are in complete denial you fucking dipshit

[Ender Ryan]

You're completely wrong. The patent system is totally busted, and it is having a huge impact now. It's preventing certain research in the medical field, denying hundreds of millions of people access to potentially life-saving drugs. It is pulling the plug on relatively expensive devices millions of people use(millions? or hundreds of thousands, forget the precise number), and it is forcing Microsoft into doing some godawful workarounds with their browser and will force tens of millions of website operators to use said workarounds for their multimedia laden sites.

You make these insulting claims about folks on /. while denying observable facts. Well fuck you too, buddy. That's some brilliant fucking logic, dipshit.

Just when ARE we supposed to start complaining? People are ALREADY dying because of our patent laws. That's about as nigh end of the world as things can even approach on this issue, ie. it can't get much worse.

I can only assume you have a large stake in patents, somehow. If that's the case, you are greedy, bottom feeding, worthless human waste. Now FOAD.