Slashdot Mirror
Streaming Patent Buoys RealNetworks
rishimathew writes writes to tell us The New York Times is reporting that RealNetworks recently received a patent for a specific way to stream multimedia content over the internet. From the article: "The patent, which is described as being for a 'multimedia communications system and method for providing audio on demand to subscribers' (No. 6,985,932), describes the idea of permitting a PC user to play back audio, video and other information on a PC. RealNetworks executives said the technology was distinguished from other similar systems by the fact that it permitted "intelligent" streaming of data in potentially congested networks."
...you were inferring that Real is an evil corporation for patenting something useful, not Apple. Had this been about QuickTime and you said something negative about Apple, your karma would've sunk faster than the Titanic. But according to my reading of the current state of Slashpolitik, Real is a perfectly safe target for criticism. Hammer away! ;)