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Company Claims Patent On Spam Filtering, Sues World

Posted by kdawson on from the guess-where dept.

EvilAlphonso notes news of a "Texas" IP holding company suing 36 actual companies for violating its claimed patent on spam filtering. Techdirt deconstructs the patent itself, No. 6,018,761, which seems to amount to little more than a database lookup. It was filed in 1996 and issued in 2000 (despite the lawyers' press release claiming that it "was awarded... nearly 15 years ago"). Among the companies being sued are 3Com, Apple, Google, AOL, Yahoo, J.C.Penney, IBM, Dell, Citigroup, and RIM. Not Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, or Microsoft, oddly enough.

5 of 186 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Take off and nuke Marshall, TX from orbit ... by straponego · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yes. Or how about... let's see, it's Texas, and lots of people are complaining about all the violent illegal aliens. I see a solution with a good Bhyrdstone index. Execute a patent troll, free citizenship.

  2. Re:This guy already won the lottery by Spykk · · Score: 5, Funny

    Never trust a mathematician who plays the lottery...

  3. Re:Take off and nuke Marshall, TX from orbit ... by BronsCon · · Score: 4, Funny

    Execute a patent troll or spammer = free citizenship
    Execute a patent troll AND spammer = seat in congress

    --
    APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
  4. Re:This guy already won the lottery by illumastorm · · Score: 4, Funny

    Then we nuke him from orbit, only way to be sure.

  5. Re:Take off and nuke Marshall, TX from orbit ... by oldspewey · · Score: 4, Funny

    If the FBI wants to build databases of people who make offhand, whimsical comments in online forums I say more power to them. I work for a major storage vendor.

    --
    If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?