Newest Patent Threat to MPEG-4

Sachin Garg writes "After the notorious JPEG patent which has made many big and small names pay huge amounts to Forgent (total more than $105 million), PCMag reports that AT&T claims to have a patent covering core MPEG-4 technology and has warned Apple and others of Patent Infringement. Pentax and Nero have already paid them."

Comments

And I have a patent for ...

[neonprimetime]

And I have a patent for Windows Viruses ... so ya 'all better stop writing them or I'll sue your @ss.

Is AT&T Serious?

Re:And I have a patent for ...

[dave-tx]

And I have a patent for Windows Viruses ... so ya 'all better stop writing them or I'll sue your @ss.

You'll do better if you go after end-users.

We can always go back to using FLI !

[Anonymous Coward]

Now that the Unisys LZW patent has expired ;)

Re:Is it any wonder innovation is slowing?

[tgd]

You really need to read up on the history of that period where IP is concerned.

The battles were far bigger and far bloodier over pants in the 1800s than they are now. The innovations you mentioned were *obvious* to many people of the time. It was common that patent applications on a new product would beat a competitor by hours. Lawsuits were rampant, technologies crushed far more often than now.

Particularly read up on the development of the telegraph and electric systems in the US. Those were both especially bloody IP battles, although a lot of industrial developments were too.

Re:Hooray!

[meatbridge]

save the celebration until the FTC and FCC allows SBC and verizon merge.

Re:Is it any wonder innovation is slowing?

[tgd]

*hangs head*

The battles were far bigger and far bloodier over pants in the 1800s than they are now.

Yes, mock me now. You all know what I meant, though.

Re:Typical

[rs79]

" If MPEG-4 or something like it existed before the patent was filed, that would be an example of prior art."

Hey I remember seeing an implementatio of what would fall under these patents twentry years ago. There were these cool videophon... oh shit.

Notice of Patten infringement

[Vandilizer]

I am afraid that you are infringing on one of my patents.

"A First Post on /. With content that is directly related to the article to which said First Post was posted is contained."

I would kindly ask that you remove your post and rewrite it at some later point in this discussion.

Intelligent First Posts, next they actually look at patents before the issuing them... What is the world coming to?

Apologies to Andy Warhol...

[WED Fan]

In the future, everyone will have 15 software patents. Then we can sue each other until we are all rich. That will put RMS out of business. Bwahahahahaha.