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Streaming Patent Buoys RealNetworks

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the duct-tape-and-baling-wire dept.

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."

15 of 133 comments (clear)

  1. Vague? by pembo13 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Are such vague terms as 'intelligent' really allowed in Patent Lawyer speak?

    --
    "Thanks for all the money you paid to us. We've used it to buy off ISO among other things" -Microsoft
    1. Re:Vague? by NitsujTPU · · Score: 3, Funny

      Intelligent actually means something, the problem is, it's overused.

      IE, your clock radio syncing up to GMT is not "intelligent," your clock radio figuring out where your hand will be when you try to hit the snooze alarm, and walking out of the way so you don't hit it, is intelligent.

  2. Oh, boy. by phillymjs · · Score: 3, Funny

    Cue an avalanche of "Buffering..." jokes in 3... 2... 1...

    ~Philly

    1. Re:Oh, boy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      I think you meant:

      Cue an avalanche of "Buffering..." jokes in 3... 2...Buffering... 1...

  3. Re:Patents stink by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Actually, RealNetworks has given a lot to the industry and have used their streaming technol

    Buffering...

  4. They patented static text? by thallgren · · Score: 2, Funny

    So basically they patented a GUI with static text saying "Buffering..."? :-)

    1. Re:They patented static text? by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 3, Funny

      "So basically they patented a GUI with static text saying "Buffering..."? :-)"

      That's more of a trademark than a patent.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

  5. Re:Buoys? by escher · · Score: 2, Funny

    It's certianly not the quality of their code.

    (The one advantage to having worked there: I got to see why OOP in C++ is a Very Bad Idea.)

  6. Dammit.... by shr3k · · Score: 3, Funny

    "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."

    Dammit! I just got finished patenting all the stupid ways of doing it...

  7. Re:Yet More Patent Abuse. by grumpyman · · Score: 2, Funny

    No worries, we can just name our method differently like "bonehead data streaming" or "dumbass multimedia packet routing"

  8. Um... by alerante · · Score: 2, Funny

    Am I the only one that read "Streaming Patent Buys RealNetworks" and thought, Yeah, I think the patent system needs some serious reform?

  9. Re:OOH OOH! by jZnat · · Score: 3, Funny

    An intelligent filter that gets rid of annoying AOLers? Now that's the first legitly patentable idea I've heard for a long time!

    --
    'Yes, firefox is indeed greater than women. Can women block pops up for you? No. Can Firefox show you naked women? Yes.'
  10. Re:OOH OOH! by deathy_epl+ccs · · Score: 2, Funny

    An intelligent filter that gets rid of annoying AOLers? Now that's the first legitly patentable idea I've heard for a long time!

    Prior art... Smith & Wesson already has this one covered.

  11. Re:Patents stink by suv4x4 · · Score: 2, Funny

    This Real patent is just stupid "Click to stream", I'm actually wondering whether its announcement comes on the back of the changes Microsoft made to force people to click to activate?

    Don't worry if Real comes after Microsoft, they can just make IE "double click to stream".

  12. Re:I think by Aceticon · · Score: 2, Funny

    Aceticon's formula to come up with a patent that gets accepted by the USPTO:
    1) Choose one or more data transport related verb: "sending", "receiving", "delivering", "reading", "transmiting"
    2) Add a generic data format name (eg, "video", "audio", "text") or if all are taken a more specific one (eg "stock quotes", "tv clips")
    3) Add a data transport type name (eg "wireless", "internet")
    4) Optionally add a transport timing name (eg "asynchronous", "on request", "real-time")
    5) Mix it all up with some patentish wording to come up with a patent ( eg "a method for real-time wireless sending and recieving of audio" )
    6) Patent it (eg in our example we just patented mobile telephony)
    7) Sit on the patent for a couple of years
    8) Squeeze anybody that actually implements a working version of your algorithmic generated patent
    9) Profit!!!