Company Aims To Patent Security Patches

Jonas Maebe writes "Someone thought up another way to profiteer from the software patent system: when a security hole is discovered, they'll try to patent the fix in order to collect money when the affected vendors close the hole in their product. The company in question is not shy about its intentions: Intellectual Weapons will only consider vulnerabilities in high-profile products from vendors with deep pockets. Let's be thankful for yet another way software patents are used to promote science and the useful arts."

Comments

Idiots

[Zeinfeld]

Not only is it certain that the fix would fail to meet the obviousness standard it will be five years before they have a patent issued.

Suing companies for five year old infringements is not going to work too well.

Moreover this type of behavior is exactly the type of action Congress might find sufficiently indefensible to act on patent law.