http://www.osnews.com/story/16730/Google_Launches_Patent_Search_Site Exploring the Future of Computing en-us Copyright 2001-2009, David Adams adam+nospam@osnews.com Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:44:17 GMT http://www.osnews.com/images/osnews.gif http://www.osnews.com http://osnews.com/thread?192647 http://osnews.com/thread?192647 Soon we are going to need a search engine just to search though all the services google offers :-) Fri, 15 Dec 2006 15:25:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (mcduck) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?192658 http://osnews.com/thread?192658 maybe now we can find out which MS patents linux supposedly violates ;-) Fri, 15 Dec 2006 15:44:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (tspears) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?192707 http://osnews.com/thread?192707 There doesn't seem to be an easy way to print patents from the Google site. Each page is stored as a PNG image, so they can be printed individually, but this isn't very convenient for large patents. It would be nice to be able to save the entire document in PDF format. Fri, 15 Dec 2006 16:44:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (LobalSurgery) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?192749 http://osnews.com/thread?192749 Has googled patented this engine? Fri, 15 Dec 2006 18:10:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (mjones) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?192753 http://osnews.com/thread?192753 Here's the problem: under US patent law, you are liable for triple damages for knowingly infringing a patent (assuming that the patent stands up in court and you're found to be infringing). You are better off, if you do software development, never to search for patents. Fri, 15 Dec 2006 18:24:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (JoeBuck) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?192754 http://osnews.com/thread?192754 read and cry:

http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT7028023&id=Szh4AAAAEBAJ&... Fri, 15 Dec 2006 18:30:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (ahmetaa) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?192756 http://osnews.com/thread?192756 "read and cry:

http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT7028023&id=Szh4AAAAEBAJ&......"

That can't be right. According to some of the items there, Microsoft has a patent on 'Symbolic links'. ln -s anyone? That has been around since before Microsoft was even a gleam or the slightest thought in Bill's eye. Fri, 15 Dec 2006 18:35:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (DrillSgt) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?192764 http://osnews.com/thread?192764 """Has google patented this engine?"""

Imagine a beowulf...

Sorry. ;-) Really. Sorry. Fri, 15 Dec 2006 19:00:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (sbergman27) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?192768 http://osnews.com/thread?192768 From looking through all of these, it becomes very interesting indeed. It makes me wonder if there are any computer systems and operating systems in use today that are NOT patent encumbered in some manner? Fri, 15 Dec 2006 19:14:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (DrillSgt) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?192773 http://osnews.com/thread?192773 Gee, I heard the US Patents Office was broke but this... this is unbelievable.

Is there any possibility I can go there and try to patent "Breathing air" ?

... Just can't see how is it even possible, if it is not by corruption, that something like a linked list could be patented. I just can't believe this is all about incompetence.

Thank god I'm no american. Fri, 15 Dec 2006 19:58:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (AlexandreAM) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?192791 http://osnews.com/thread?192791 The ironic thing about your post will be that now they will say there is no excuse for violating a patent, being that now all it requires is a simple google search; ESPECIALLY for software developers. I mean we are tech savvy and all Fri, 15 Dec 2006 20:16:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (prince_seth) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?192794 http://osnews.com/thread?192794 How can a software developer prove in court he never looked at the patent being infriged at Google patent search, or the USPTO site for that matter? Fri, 15 Dec 2006 20:27:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (rjamorim) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?192798 http://osnews.com/thread?192798 I use http://www.pat2pdf.org/ for patents; it's too bad Google didn't integrate this feature. Fri, 15 Dec 2006 20:37:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Wes Felter) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?192809 http://osnews.com/thread?192809 http://www.google.com/patents?q=torvalds

http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT7096460&id=V6V6AAAAEBAJ&... Fri, 15 Dec 2006 21:23:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (NotParker) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?192817 http://osnews.com/thread?192817 Note that all the patents in which he's credited as an inventor were registered by Transmeta while he worked at that company. None of these seem to apply to Linux, nor do they appear to be strictly software patents. Fri, 15 Dec 2006 21:32:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (archiesteel) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?192942 http://osnews.com/thread?192942 How about Red Hat?

http://www.google.com/patents?q=%22Assignee%3A+Red+Hat%... Fri, 15 Dec 2006 23:10:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (NotParker) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?192996 http://osnews.com/thread?192996 It makes me wonder if there are any computer systems and operating systems in use today that are NOT patent encumbered in some manner?

Hehe - there's probably very little software that doesn't infringe on some sort of obvious and "non-novel" patent, or infringe on a patent with prior art.

In contrast, there's also (hopefully) very little software that infringes on patent/s that would actually stand up in court.

IMHO it's about cost cutting - it'd cost a lot for the patent office to properly determine which patents should and shouldn't be granted, so they grant patents that shouldn't be granted and let the courts figure it out later.

The main problem with this is nuisance court cases, where company A attempts to send company B into bankrupcy (and/or damage company B's reputation) using messy and prelonged court cases that company A knows they shouldn't win before they start. Sat, 16 Dec 2006 01:01:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Brendan) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?193005 http://osnews.com/thread?193005 Or, my favorite:

http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT5443036&id=OfwkAAAAEBAJ&... Sat, 16 Dec 2006 01:20:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (tsuraan) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?193018 http://osnews.com/thread?193018 Another favorite.

http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT6313371&id=7vUHAAAAEBAJ&... Sat, 16 Dec 2006 01:41:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (ahmetaa) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?193026 http://osnews.com/thread?193026 roflmao.

How the hell did someone patent the age old cat toy?? That..is just so wrong..in so many ways. Does that mean, to play with a pet, I have to pay a fee?? Sat, 16 Dec 2006 01:56:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (DrillSgt) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?193086 http://osnews.com/thread?193086 Just as a point of interest, in my googling on patent law issues, I came across this paper: http://www.law.northwestern.edu/colloquium/law_economics/lichtman.p...

Sorry it's a .pdf, and not a short one, but for those really interested in the intricacies of US patent law and the implications from patent trolls etc. I think it's worth a read. Sat, 16 Dec 2006 06:15:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (elsewhere) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?193136 http://osnews.com/thread?193136 I thought "hey, google should do that" the other day... I should patent my other ideas right away Sat, 16 Dec 2006 09:52:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (mmu_man) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?193137 http://osnews.com/thread?193137 search by stupidity level ?
(10 being the "double click" one) Sat, 16 Dec 2006 09:53:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (mmu_man) Comments http://osnews.com/thread?193323 http://osnews.com/thread?193323 There's a powerful strategy to fight software patents: defensive publication (prior art).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defensive_publication

http://osapa.org/information.html

If you are a FOSS supporter, and you've just had a great idea, or you've seen it posted in a mailing list, the best thing you can do is let the world know about it as soon as possible, before big corporations get a patent for this idea, and no-one else (including you) can use it. The patent system will hopefully fall to pieces in the near future, but you never know, better safe than sorry. Applying for a patent and then making it open is expensive. Defensive publication is free. Sat, 16 Dec 2006 19:32:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (wannabe geek) Comments