Comments on: PalmSource Settles Patent Infringement Case

PalmSource today announced it has reached an agreement with Digeo Interactive LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Digeo, Inc., to settle a litigation matter alleging infringement of certain Digeo patents.

Detailed Comment View (5 Total Comments)

The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. PIC is not responsible for them in any way.
login or register for free in order to post comments.

Just shows the flaws in the patent system

skeezix @ 10/15/2004 4:18:33 PM #

.. that was once to protect innovation, and is now used as a weapon to prevent it :/

Getting tough out there with all these organizations that come up with pseudo-obvious or obvious ideas, patent them, then wait around for people to sue. Innovation at its best..

jeff

The Shadow knows!

RE: Just shows the flaws in the patent system

mikemusick @ 10/15/2004 6:10:30 PM #

Well, yes and no. It still keeps the Microsofts of the world from completely steamrollering over people like you and me who happen to have a legit good idea. Biggest problem is that the PTO is issuing overly-broad patents on crap.

I looked at the patent, thinking that it somehow sounded familiar - yes, it was. It is a local (St. Louis) company, and I was approached many years ago to participate in the development. It was a seriously flawed concept, which is why I declined. How they stretched it to apply to Palm is totally beyond me - the whole thing was e-book sales through kiosks using proprietary hardware and an experimental storage medium.

I guess they made the kiosk-to-handheld transaction component "stick". It used to be that "obvious" concepts were tossed out on their ear.

Lawyers. :-/

RE: Just shows the flaws in the patent system

tompi @ 10/17/2004 12:11:09 AM #

"Well, yes and no. It still keeps the Microsofts of the world from completely steamrollering over people like you and me who happen to have a legit good idea."

In order to make money off patents with any reliability, you need a big patent portfolio (Diego has around 300) and you need to constantly look for infringement and pursue legal cases over many years. People can afford to do that if they are lawyers themselves or if they have a dedicated legal staff. If you are a small inventor, buying a lottery ticket gives you better odds, doesn't require you to mortgage your house to pay the up-front legal fees, and doesn't require you to dedicate years of your life to legal issues.

(Incidentally, you do realize that Diego is owned by Paul Allen, right?)

Patent law

atrizzah @ 10/19/2004 5:20:49 PM #

Patent law is quickly turning into something that benefits only people who don't actually make products. They don't have to worry about being sued. But when you actually make an innovative product, instead of just think up a spiffy idea, you get sued out the wazzoo. Palm is a prime example of this.

It's a good thing Palm has a corporate pedigree and craploads of money to pay its patent lawyers; any less well off company would have bit the bullet by now.

The tech industry is starting to look a lot like the music business--there's no way to make money as an independant anymore, even if you can make a great product on your own. You have to sell your idea out to someone who can afford to back you.

Peace Out
Alan

Translation: Microsoft's Paul Allen is toying with Palm.

The_Voice_of_Reason @ 10/20/2004 1:23:39 AM #

http://www.broadbandweek.com/newsdirect/0203/direct020329.htm#1

Billy "The Kid" Gates: "Paul, Palm isn't imploding fast enough. Can you waste some more of their money with a bogus patent case?"

Paul "I'm Bored - What Should I Buy Today" Allen: "Sure, Billy. Do you want to see me make Nagel dance, too?"

Billy "The Kid" Gates: "Sure, Paul."

Paul "I'm Bored - What Should I Buy Today" Allen: "Dance for me, Nagel! Dance!"

[Nagel dances frantically, hoping to keep Palm alive long enough for him to cash out his remaining $10 million in stock options by next year]

Billy "The Kid" Gates: "Nagel sure dances funny, Paul. I want him to give me a lap dance."

Paul "I'm Bored - What Should I Buy Today" Allen: "Get off that pole and come here, Nagel!"

[Nagel removes himself from the pole, looking fearfully at Billy]

******************************************************************
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.

< Home | Comment Board

Palm Software on sale