Patent Suit Leads To 500,000 Annoyed Software Users

ciaran_o_riordan writes "A rare glimpse at the human harm of a software patent lawsuit: company receives 500,000 calls complaining about video quality after a video call system was forced to change to avoid a patent. That's a lot of people having a bad day. We don't usually hear these details because the court documents get ordered sealed and the lawyers only say what the companys' communication strategists allow. However, for VirnetX v. Apple, Jeff Lease decided to go the hearings, take notes, and give them to a journalist. While most coverage is focussing on the fines involved, doubling or halving Apple's fine would have a much smaller impact on your day than the removal of a feature from some software you like. Instead of letting the software patents debate be reduced to calls for sympathy for big companies getting fined, what other evidence is out there, like this story, for harm caused directly to software users?"

Comments

Re:My give-a-darn meter is reading negative GADs

[Fluffeh]

Instead of working something out, notifying its users, or something else, it just makes their app work poorly now.

*cough* maps *cough*

*sips coffee*

Re:Harm?

[Anonymous Coward]

That's true. But imagine if the rockets that will take the species to the stars have patented software in them? On the way to Andromeda, suddenly you get a cease and desist that you can't 3D print He3 anymore.

Did you ever think of that? Hm, did you?