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NTP Sues Six Major Tech Companies Over Wireless Email Patents

Posted by Soulskill on from the going-for-the-gusto dept.

rgraham writes "NTP, the same company that sued and eventually settled with RIM for $612.5 million over an IP dispute, has now sued Apple, Google, HTC, LG, Microsoft and Motorola for infringement of wireless email patents. In the press release, NTP co-founder Donald Stout said, 'Use of NTP's intellectual property without a license is just plain unfair to NTP and its licensees. Unfortunately, litigation is our only means of ensuring the inventor of the fundamental technology on which wireless email is based, Tom Campana, and NTP shareholders are recognized, and are fairly and reasonably compensated for their innovative work and investment. We took the necessary action to protect our intellectual property.'"

8 of 197 comments (clear)

  1. Fundamental technology by SilverHatHacker · · Score: 5, Insightful

    inventor of the fundamental technology on which wireless email is based

    Really? Which technology would that be: wireless or email?

    --
    Funny may not give karma, but +5 Informative never made anyone snort coffee out their nose.
    1. Re:Fundamental technology by DarkKnightRadick · · Score: 4, Insightful

      So they own SMTP? POP3? IMAP4? sendmail?!

      --
      "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Proverbs 16:25 (NKJV)
    2. Re:Fundamental technology by mercutioviz · · Score: 4, Insightful

      DarkKnightRadick is correct: there's nothing "fundamental" that can be "owned" (as in property) in all this. You can't patent abstract concepts. Unless the patent describes a very specific process that is both non-obvious to someone skilled in the art and is not already revealed in other prior art/pre-existing technologies then this is totally bogus. I know I used the word "if" in the previous sentence, but I think we all know that there's no if about it: NTP are patent-trolling douchebags.

    3. Re:Fundamental technology by Monkeedude1212 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      SYSTEM FOR INTERCONNECTING ELECTRONIC MAIL SYSTEMS BY RF COMMUNICATIONS AND METHOD OF OPERATION THEREOF

      Says the United States Patent Office. Yes, it is as ridiculous as it sounds. I need to start thinking abstractly and patenting anything and everything that will be tried. I mean, touch interfaces are becoming popular. Can I patent the use of multi-touch interfaces and Email clients? Can I patent the use of non-touch hand gestures to operate a computer? What else could I just sit on that will be done eventually...

    4. Re:Fundamental technology by nomorecwrd · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I know I used the word "if" in the previous sentence,

      Actually... you didn't

  2. Hmmm..... by ducomputergeek · · Score: 4, Insightful

    First, it seems they forgot to sue Nokia.

    Second, I see six very big companies who suddenly have a reason to work together. The $600M NTP got from RIM is a penitence compared to what these people can afford on legal.

    --
    "The problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money" - Thatcher.
  3. Their patents are bullshit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Email is over 20 years old, so there's no way they could patent it. Combining email with IP-over-GSM is simply combining two existing technologies, which isn't patent worthy, so they couldn't have patented that. And, if they had patented something at the transport layer or higher, they wouldn't have called their patents "wireless email patents", they would have called them "wireless networking patents". So, their patents can't possibly be valid. I'd look them up and show exactly why - but they were so ashamed of how much they abused the patent system, that they wouldn't even tell us which patents they are. FTA:

    What are these patents? We can only guess, as the one-page release issued by NTP's public-relations firm does not name them.

  4. Re:Bring back lynching by mcgrew · · Score: 4, Insightful

    There was a Hostory Channel show on the vigilantes. The cause of the vigilatteism was corrupt government and police that were not accountable to anyone and perverted democracy. In the case of our own corporate-run governments these days...

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    Free Martian Whores!