[OT] browser plugin patents - warning!

[Edwin Gore]

Actually, once a patent has been issued, it's VERY difficult to get it
revoked based on a claim of prior art - there is an assumption within the
legal system that the patent office works. Only the most horrific examples
(Compton trying to claim it owned the entire idea of multimedia, BT claiming
it owned hyperlinking) have been overturned. I'm not saying that Microsoft
is not doing everything they can about this, and that they have not come up
with tons of examples of prior art. I'm saying that the patent office is
screwed up and that it never should have been issued in the first place -
it's a terrible patent to begin with.

----- Original Message ----- 



> <What is REALLY irritating is that prior art on this is SOOOO bloody
> obvious.>
>
> And yet MS's legion of attorneys could not prevail.
> Wonder if they wanted to lose?
>
> JimL
> ---