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US Patent Office To Re-Examine Blackboard Patent

Posted by kdawson on from the no-chalk-for-you dept.

Mr_5tein writes "Groklaw is reporting that the US Patent and Trademark Office has just ordered a re-examination of the e-learning patent owned by Blackboard Inc, thanks to a filing by the Software Freedom Law Center. SFLC's press release states, 'The Patent Office found that prior art cited in SFLC's request raises "a substantial new question of patentability" regarding all 44 claims of Blackboard's patent...' The SFLC explains that though such re-examinations may take a couple of years to complete, approximately '70% of re-examinations are successful in having a patent narrowed or completely revoked.'"

4 of 115 comments (clear)

  1. Blackboard patent? by tsa · · Score: 2, Funny

    I read the title and I thought: "Hey, has someone patented the blackboard? Cool!"

    --

    -- Cheers!

    1. Re:Blackboard patent? by krakelohm · · Score: 2, Funny

      Damn marker sniffers.

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      You are all a bunch of idots.
  2. Oh well... by Superfreaker · · Score: 2, Funny

    I guess its back to the old drawing board...

  3. HEY MODERATORS by argoff · · Score: 1, Funny

    There was no reason for the parent post to be http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=218926&cid=177 69878 modded down

    It hasn't gone unnoticed that the people who bitterly wined about it couldn't make a counter claim, why? Because they know that if they claim that it's "property", or that it "protects" inventors, or that it "incentivizes" high cost R&D, they would be called on their BS. So their only option left was to wine and attack me personally. Well, fine. I take it as a compliment, but the parent point is still valid and deserves to be recognized as such.