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EFF Busts Illegitimate Subdomain Patent

Posted by kdawson on from the method-and-device-for-breathing-in-then-breathing-out dept.

eldavojohn writes "Unlike a lot of community support protection programs, the EFF's Patent Busting Project is starting to bear real fruit instead of just leveling the finger at offenders. The USPTO is revoking an illegitimate patent granted in 2004 that sounds like automatically assigning subdomains. Sites like Wordpress, LiveJournal, or basically anyone with generated subdomains have been doing this for quite some time. If you have some extra cash, now's the time to pony up a few bucks so the EFF can carry on as one of the few organizations genuinely protecting your interests."

9 of 96 comments (clear)

  1. their next patent request by Ritz_Just_Ritz · · Score: 3, Insightful

    A method to autonomously direct the expansion and contraction of lungs for the purpose of oxygen extraction.

  2. The EFF isn't entirely protecting our rights by Jay+Maynard · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'll donate to the EFF when they get a clue about spam. Their official position is that spam is protected free speech, and measures to fight it are far worse than the problem. They don't understand that spam is highly destructive to the net as a form of communication.

    --
    Disinfect the GNU General Public Virus!
    1. Re:The EFF isn't entirely protecting our rights by russotto · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'll donate to the EFF when they get a clue about spam. Their official position is that spam is protected free speech, and measures to fight it are far worse than the problem.

      Perhaps because in many cases, they are. Anti-spammers often end up "destroying the village in order to save it", doing things like blacklisting legitimate mail users and then refusing to talk to them on the grounds that they are spammers. The one actual spam case I recall the EFF getting involved in, was one where sending an e-mail to a company was ruled to be a "tresspass against chattels". That sort of ruling would be far more destructive to communication than spammers; it would mean you'd committed a actionable offense any time someone didn't like an e-mail you sent them.

    2. Re:The EFF isn't entirely protecting our rights by MobyDisk · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The EFF is not there to fight spam. It has nothing to do with their mission. That's like a gun owner refusing to donate to the NRA because of they don't do anything to stop spam.

  3. Re:Is it just me... by Ltap · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Not to me - it's proof that they can actually do what they say. Although, depending on how you look at it, every article is a fundraising article.

    --
    Yet Another Tech Blog
    (but so much more, including game and movie reviews)
    http://yanteb.peasantoid.org
  4. Re:Is it just me... by qortra · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It didn't read that way to me either.

    But it occurs to me that even if it did, that wouldn't be such a bad thing. Any organization that exists through donations really ought to prove that they're worth a donation. This is once piece of evidence that the EFF is worth your money.

    Moreover, to those people who have already donated, this is a form of accountability. Articles like this tell those people that they have not wasted their money - it is being put to good use doing the work that organization was created to do.

  5. Re:Is it just me... by qortra · · Score: 3, Insightful

    [GP] it's proof that they can actually do what they say.

    [P] One case is hardly proof

    If they say that they can successfully thwart illegitimate patent, of course it is. If I say I can do 'X', and I do 'X', have I not proved my claim? Do you think that there's some larger claim that they can thwart 42 patents? I haven't seen any.

    I just think that this rather blatant advertising.

    By whom? Infozine? Did you even read the article, or are you saying this purely based on the summary? I see you already got a response from the submitter himself, so I won't bother explaining to you here the difference between advertising vs advocacy.

  6. Re:The obvious question. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Wow. The mods have no sense of humor today...

  7. Re:Is it just me... by The+End+Of+Days · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It only counts as a Slashvertisement when the hivemind is upset that it doesn't promote the locally accepted viewpoint. When it's the EFF it's just good community thinking because all right-minded people agree with them.