10.08.12
Gemini version available ♊︎Patent Trolls Slammed by Inventors
Summary: Jacques Mattheij speaks about multimedia and streaming trolls
THE other day we found this article about a developer who lashes out at patent trolls. “TasMot points us to a recent blog post by Jacques Mattheij,” writes Masnick, “who developed one of the earliest, if not the earliest version oft browser-based streaming video back in 1995, about his experience with patent trolls. There’s an initial experience with an attempt by patent trolling giant Acacia to try to shake him down, which failed mainly because Mattheij’s company was mostly based in the Netherlands, making it difficult for Acacia to go after them (and, Mattheij notes, that patent was eventually invalidated… but not until 2009, by which time plenty of damage could have been done). However, he notes that a more recent troll has popped up on the scene, named Joao Control, who has apparently been busy suing a bunch of companies, including some online video operations like, Sling Media and WebcamNow, as well as a bunch of auto companies (including Hyundai, Ford, BMW, Mercedes, Toyota and Honda). You can read through the cases if you’d like, but they all seem pretty ridiculous. Joao appears to argue that it has patented “systems for remotely controlling video systems.””
We previously wrote about Burst as well [1, 2]. These are all software patents, a troll’s best friend. For multimedia there is already a troll called MPEG-LA and a Microsoft booster now promotes the same for mobile phones. “Two years ago,” he writes, “Dolby subsidiary Via Licensing started getting together with companies that would be interested in creating a “one-stop shop” for paying for patents that cover LTE, or Long-Term Evolution, a newer, faster type of cell phone data transmission. Now, the pool has formed, and Via is eager to sign patent licenses on behalf of the 10 companies it represents—but the question remains as to whether anyone will sign up.”
“These are all software patents, a troll’s best friend.”This would work against no- or low-cost software such as Android. The Apple-Microsoft alliance knows this, hence their promotion of a codecs cartel. It’s about restriction, barriers, and overall a fear of competition. People should be penalised for resorting to this nonsense of monopolising ideas, not rewarded for it. As CNET puts it, “TalentBin has added the U.S. Patent Office’s database to its tool for matching employers with job prospects. Don’t be frightened.” The USPTO is not about employment, it is about protectionism, which often correlates with being unable to compete based on merit. In turn, patents limit the number of competitors (down to zero), thus eliminating jobs. █
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