01.07.09
Novell Obtains Some More Software Patents, Legitimising Broken System
Novell’s chief forker of OpenOffice.org is already obtaining software patents. Actually, we gave many more such examples prior to that. Novell is not opposed to the notion of software patents; in fact, it carries on filing for more of them and then uses them as a selling point [1, 2]. Here are the latest additions:
Construction, manipulation, and comparison of a multidimensional semantic space , patent No. 7,475,008, invented by Delos C. Jensen of Orem, and Stephen R. Carter of Spanish Fork, assigned to Novell, Inc. of Provo.
Communication interface for providing accounting support for print services , patent No. 7,475,031, invented by F. Devon Taylor of Pleasant Grove, Bart Dahneke of Provo, Dale J. Bethers of Pleasant Grove, and Brad P. Christensen of Alpine, assigned to Novell, Inc. of Provo.
What good are these patents anyway? What will Novell do with them?
Some Other Software Patenting News
There are several new reports out there about digital TV companies joining forces (spearheaded by the Coalition to Terminate Financial Abuses of the Television Transmission) to protest against ‘intellectual’ destruction of the digital TVs sector in the US, due to tactlessness in patenting. Vizio lends its voice.
HDTV company Vizio is petitioning the Federal Communications Commission to lower patent fees for digital TVs, claiming they are excessive, unregulated and costing consumers more than $1 billion and counting.
“This is the great untold story of the transition to digital television,” said Amos Snead, spokesman for the Coalition to Terminate Financial Abuses of the Television Transmission, or CUT FATT, which Vizio is backing. “Since 2007, American consumers have been paying more than 20 to 30 times what consumers in Europe and Japan pay in royalties for basically the same technologies.
Earlier on we also mentioned Microsoft newly-found strategy as a patent-hoarding company [1, 2]. Well, Microsoft has just been sued.
Both patents are entitled, “Computer System Security Method and Apparatus for Creating and Using Program Authorization Information Data Structures,” and relate specifically to the technology and manner of use employed by the technology for security software.
Microsoft wanted software patents? It got them. But will it ever learn? Will Novell? █
Highlight: Novell was the first to acknowledge that Microsoft FUD tactics had substance. Novell then used anti-Linux FUD to market itself. 
Highlight: Xandros let Microsoft make patent claims and brag about (paid-for) OOXML support. 
Highlight: Linspire's CEO not only fell into Microsoft arms, but he also assisted the company's attack on GNU/Linux. 
Highlight: Microsoft craves pseudo (proprietary) standards and gets its way using proxies and influence which it buys. 
Highlight: The invasion into the open source world is intended to leave Linux companies neglected, due to financial incentives from Microsoft. 
Analysis: Xen, an open source hypervisor, possibly fell victim to Microsoft's aggressive (and stealthy) acquisition-by-proxy strategy.
Baby In The Bath Water said,
January 7, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Obtaining patents doesn’t legitimize them. They’re already “legit”. Obtaining patents is just the Smart Thing to do in order to protect yourself.
It’s what Novell do with these patents that matters.
- If they attack people with them, then “bad Novell! Bad!”
- else If they use them for defensive purposes only, then there’s nothing wrong with that.
- else if they give them to OIN or in some other way use them to protect F/LOSS, “good Novell! Good!”
Note: this comment was posted from Novell’s headquarters.
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AlexH said,
January 7, 2009 at 2:14 pm
@Baby: OIN isn’t approved of here. It’s often referred to here as “the Maginot line”, although I suspect the person who created that similie isn’t so hot on WW2 history