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Microsoft accused of violating patents | |
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| Time: 15:26 EST/20:26 GMT | News Source: E-Mail | Posted By: Byron Hinson | ||
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Microsoft Corp. is being accused of infringing on six patents for a process that improves the quality of images seen on a computer screen. Research Corporation Technologies Inc. said it owns the patents relating to creating halftones, which is a process of breaking down a picture into a pattern of dots of varying sizes. The patents cover inventions by two University of Rochester professors. Microsoft improperly uses the technology in its Office, Excel, Word and PhotoDraw products, Research Corporation alleges in a lawsuit filed Dec. 21 in U.S. District Court in Tucson. | ||
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| #1 By 135 (208.50.201.48) at 1/6/2002 4:08:52 PM |
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Software patents are stupid anyway.
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| #2 By 1310 (209.136.78.9) at 1/6/2002 9:56:52 PM |
| Hey #4, enough with the God cracks. I mean, point well taken and probably was a good illustration but I think it's out of line. At least you did give Him proper honor and capitolize His name and words refering to Him... Good job there! Brovo! Oh yeah, and God bless! |
| #3 By 20 (168.215.253.242) at 1/6/2002 11:45:44 PM |
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I'm going to patent writing text onto paper and onto your screen, then I'll sue you all!
Next, I'm going to patent the question mark (? (R) ) and sue you all again! |
| #4 By 135 (208.50.201.48) at 1/7/2002 2:47:51 AM |
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#11 - Because most software patents are blatantly obvious.
I'm going to patent one-button shopping! I'm going to patent hyperlinks. I'm going to patent the concept of a mouse! This one I don't understand. halftones have been used for at least 15 years. |
| #5 By 2332 (129.21.145.80) at 1/7/2002 4:17:38 AM |
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#15 - ya, I find patent violations to be more serious.
Patents allow people to get credit (usually in the form of money) for an innovation that they created. It also allows the inventor to control how the innovation is disseminated in the marketplace. This system of credit and control is vital to capitalism and competition. Some might say it's purely greed that is the motivation behind the patent system... perhaps that's true, but I say it's vital nonetheless. If Microsoft violated the patent, either intentionally or accidentally, they were wrong to do so. This isn't a pro-MS / anti-MS thing... This post was edited by RMD on Monday, January 07, 2002 at 04:18. |
| #6 By 2960 (156.80.64.157) at 1/7/2002 9:38:08 AM |
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I think I'll patent the Toe.
Then, I can sue everyone on the planet 10 times. Give or take... TL |
| #7 By 135 (209.180.28.6) at 1/7/2002 11:37:27 AM |
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Found a good discussion of what halftone is:
http://www.dtp-aus.com/hlftne2.htm Looks like how newspaper photographs are printed in grey. Anyway... Again software patents are a strange thing. You're not supposed to be able to patent mathematical algorithms, but that is essentially what computer programs are. I can understand the desire to patent certain highly technical achievements such as RSA's public key encryption algorithms. But one click shopping? BAH! The company who patented hyperlinks simply described a very generic concept, something that was really blatantly obvious. An awful lot of software patents are this way. My understanding is that most of Europe does not allow for software patents. |
| #8 By 1295 (216.84.210.100) at 1/7/2002 5:25:05 PM |
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To give you guys an example of what a person can patent there is a guy who patented the ability to take an order for a print job (like a kinko's or something) over the web.
So in essence the guy patented the a form with some questions that gets either e-mailed, entered into a database, or tied to a homing pigeon. The problem is a as #23 stated the pattent office has no clue what is should be considered new and unusual as far as the web and software is considered. They are just like "OMFG you can take a print order of the web... FAR OUT!" God bless america and how slow our government moves to keep up with the digital economy. |
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