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Google Talk Targeted In Patent Lawsuit

Posted by Zonk on from the suing-is-such-a-noble-business dept.

JamesAlfaro wrote to mention an Ars Technica story, which goes into the recent filing of a suit against Google Talk. A Delaware corporation claims that Talk infringes on two of its patents. From the article: "You've probably never heard of Rates Technology Inc. (RTI), and that wouldn't be surprising since the company has no products and offers no services. By all appearances, RTI is a company that was set up to collect licensing fees and pursue settlements related to the company's patent portfolio. Gerald J. Weinberger, president of Rates technology Inc., once said that the company was 'an enterprise based on patent licensing,' and that much of its business depended on the courts." Certainly seems like there are a lot of those businesses around nowadays, huh?

5 of 229 comments (clear)

  1. Reminds me.. by Klowner · · Score: 2, Funny

    It always reminds me of that drooling kid that sits idly in a sandbox and throws a fit any time someone else wants to play with their tiny plastic shovel.

  2. Wait just a second, your honor! by blair1q · · Score: 2, Funny

    I've just come from the Unites States Patent Office, where they have declared me the Inventor of the "Shell-company Suing Patent Infringers" business model.

    I'll take that gavel, if you please.

    Unless you'd maybe like to negotiate a nominal license fee...

    1. Re:Wait just a second, your honor! by Alex+P+Keaton+in+da · · Score: 2, Funny

      I just hope 2003 didn't place that call with any technology owned by the Rate company!

      --
      And All I Ask is a Tall Ship And a Star to Steer Her By
  3. Oh, yes... by SharpFang · · Score: 4, Funny

    Google should agree to pay 1000x loss of profit compensation. If they didn't make their Google Talk service, the company would earn about $0 on the patents....

    --
    45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
  4. I would like to patent... by AZURERAZOR · · Score: 3, Funny

    Using a mouse to make an online purchase .... Oops too late Amazon already did it... http://www.oreilly.com/pub/a/oreilly/ask_tim/2000/ amazon_patent.html

    Automatically updating security software over the internet ... Sorry McAfee already got that one ... http://www.dotgnu.org/patent-analysis.html

    Use of graphics and text to sell products over the internet... Darn too late again (see Pangea Intellectual Properties) http://www.chillingeffects.org/ecom/

    Tabbed browsing... You might be thinking Mozilla or Opera... Nope Microsoft http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/article.php/3 406551

    Maybe "techniques for cleaning one's anus using rolls of soft paper"... I have not checked but I am sure that one's covered too.