On Fri, 2006-06-23 at 08:44 -0700, alan wrote: > > > > I bet if you looked at IBM or Microsoft, you would find similar > > applications/patents. Some companies will patent anything and everything > > they can "just in case". > > > > But this points to a problem with the patent system, not the company. > > The danger of these "protective patents" is not now, but later. > > We are seeing companies that filed CYA patents and then got bought out by > another company. That company then uses the patents as a blunt object on > all concerned. > > Just because the company is not using it against you now does not mean it > will not get used against you later when they get bought out. (And that > includes a company as big as Sun, if they keep struggling as they have > been.) I don't see a solution there... Either a company patents it now as a protective measure or they let someone else do it. Either way it might end up owned by someone else later. What's the alternative? Do you expect the patent office to suddenly start doing their job and disallowing patents that are obvious or mathematical algorithms? -- Les Mikesell lesmikesell@xxxxxxxxx
