OSNews: http://www.osnews.com/story/25218/Two_Patent_Wars_Infographics Exploring the Future of Computing en-us Copyright 2001-2013, David Adams adam+nospam@osnews.com Thu, 23 May 2013 09:24:27 GMT http://www.osnews.com/images/osnews.gif OSNews.com http://www.osnews.com Comment by shmerl http://www.osnews.com/thread?492007 http://www.osnews.com/thread?492007 Something is missing there (i.e. Apple and Samsung are portrayed as equal). Is Samsung known for active patent trolling and abusing patents in offensive manner like Apple? So far Samsung is forced to wage war because of Apple's attacks, which I'd say is the only reasonable way to apply these patents, and that's what defensive patent pools are for (i.e. if someone attacks member of the pool with patents, pool patents are used to strike the attacker back).

The only functional way to stop greed-blinded patent abusers is to get them into the MAD situation, which will force them to stop fighting.Edited 2011-10-05 21:57 UTC Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:52:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (shmerl) Comments Fascinating? http://www.osnews.com/thread?492010 http://www.osnews.com/thread?492010 I can think of a few words to describe these patent lawsuits and anything having to do with them, but fascinating is not one of them.

Anyway, as to why I'm posting ...

I wanted to ask Thom - what exactly do you hope to accomplish by posting all of this patent stuff? I'm sure that the majority of the readers on this site agree with your position, and the rest of us couldn't be bothered to care.

I'm guessing you hope these sorts of articles on this site (and others) will inspire Americans to elect new officials that will put into place some patent reforms, but surely you must know by now that any potential candidates we have to choose from are bought and paid for already. So, as Rambo so eloquently put it in his last movie, unless you're coming with weapons, you ain't changing nothin'. Thus, do you advocate a violent revolution? And if not, what the f**k do you suggest? I mean, there HAS to be a reason why you keep boring us with this crap.Edited 2011-10-05 21:57 UTC Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:56:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (WorknMan) Comments RE: Fascinating? http://www.osnews.com/thread?492016 http://www.osnews.com/thread?492016 This is defining the technology world RIGHT NOW, and will shape the tech world of the future. Not reporting on this is irresponsible. Just because you find it boring doesn't mean no one should report on it.

People like you come up all the time, for different topics. Now it's patents, but we've had people like you for Ubuntu, Windows 7, the iPhone, the iPad, heck, even about Amiga.

I'm sorry I can't please everyone. You'll just have to live with it ;) . Wed, 05 Oct 2011 22:09:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Thom_Holwerda) Comments RE[2]: Fascinating? http://www.osnews.com/thread?492030 http://www.osnews.com/thread?492030
This is defining the technology world RIGHT NOW, and will shape the tech world of the future. Not reporting on this is irresponsible.


I didn't ask you WHY you were reporting on it. After all, I'm sure you wouldn't bother reporting on it if you didn't think it could accomplish anything. I'm just asking what you think/hope writing about it will accomplish, given the fact that are elected representatives (and pretty much anybody who ends up on a voting ballot) work for the patent holders.

I mean do you envision mass boycotts of these companies, overthrowing the government by force, or what? Basically, instead of posting half a dozen patent rants every week, how about we start talking solutions?Edited 2011-10-05 23:01 UTC Wed, 05 Oct 2011 23:00:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (WorknMan) Comments RE[3]: Fascinating? http://www.osnews.com/thread?492036 http://www.osnews.com/thread?492036
"This is defining the technology world RIGHT NOW, and will shape the tech world of the future. Not reporting on this is irresponsible.


I didn't ask you WHY you were reporting on it. After all, I'm sure you wouldn't bother reporting on it if you didn't think it could accomplish anything. I'm just asking what you think/hope writing about it will accomplish, given the fact that are elected representatives (and pretty much anybody who ends up on a voting ballot) work for the patent holders.

I mean do you envision mass boycotts of these companies, overthrowing the government by force, or what? Basically, instead of posting half a dozen patent rants every week, how about we start talking solutions? "

This is a tech news site. They are here to report the various goings on in the technology world, not to post any given person's idea of what the solution to a given problem may be. That's what blogs and the comments section are for.

I don't see why these extremely obvious things I just typed are so hard for you to comprehend. Wed, 05 Oct 2011 23:40:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Lazarus) Comments RE[3]: Fascinating? http://www.osnews.com/thread?492113 http://www.osnews.com/thread?492113

I didn't ask you WHY you were reporting on it. After all, I'm sure you wouldn't bother reporting on it if you didn't think it could accomplish anything. I'm just asking what you think/hope writing about it will accomplish, given the fact that are elected representatives (and pretty much anybody who ends up on a voting ballot) work for the patent holders.

I mean do you envision mass boycotts of these companies, overthrowing the government by force, or what? Basically, instead of posting half a dozen patent rants every week, how about we start talking solutions?

So you think it's better he just give up?

Besides, this is a news site, so why does he need a reason to publish news items? Thu, 06 Oct 2011 08:53:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Laurence) Comments RE[3]: Fascinating? http://www.osnews.com/thread?492162 http://www.osnews.com/thread?492162
given the fact that are [sic] elected representatives (and pretty much anybody who ends up on a voting ballot) work for the patent holders.


I think you basically summarized it yourself right there.

The more often this ridiculousness shows up in the press, the more people will continue to push back on their public officials to do something about it.

More and more people I know are becoming familiar with the patent lawsuits and how harmful they are to consumers. If every blog and news site keeps ramming this down people's throats, they have no choice but to become informed.

The more often they see it, the more often they'll think about it.

Stop pretending the world doesn't work this way.

FWIW, I read almost every article about this topic, even though I'm already extremely familiar with it - and I hope to get some tidbit of information out of each one that I can use to educate myself and others on the intricacies - so stuff it. Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:50:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (umccullough) Comments RE[4]: Fascinating? http://www.osnews.com/thread?492212 http://www.osnews.com/thread?492212
FWIW, I read almost every article about this topic, even though I'm already extremely familiar with it

I think there might a point of diminishing returns somewhere there, a "good enough" one (generally, wasting one bit of life here, another there...) Thu, 06 Oct 2011 23:41:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (zima) Comments "Why Software Patents Should End" http://www.osnews.com/thread?492384 http://www.osnews.com/thread?492384
Many critics of the current patent system[who?] have likened software to spoken language[emphasis original] - in essence, we all use the same language [no we don't], but recombine it in different ways to form new meanings. So it is with software, they[who?] say. And since we can't patent languages[or any natural phenomenon, but we can copyright those recombinations], why should we be able to patent software? [Because it is the result of research, invention, and hard work, and it does everyone good for that result to be published.] If the enormous war being waged between the tech companies is any indication, the current system does not work. [Patent infringement is a civil matter until Congress makes something like the DMCA. The "enormous war" is the system working.] The time for reform is now![emphasis original]


That is by far the least relevant, least coherent argument against software patents I've ever seen. Patents are bad because they lead to lawsuits. Well, then drunk driving laws are bad because they lead to arrests. You have to make some kind of case with evidence that intervention is worse than non-intervention, or in this case, that protection is worse than non-protection.

The only instance in which that case was even partially made was with patent trolls (NPEs), but the closing paragraph actually disregards them by describing a "war being waged between tech companies", and patent trolls are not tech companies.

I would argue that we can't have standards without patents. Without patents, all inventions are proprietary trade secrets, and without FRAND, all standards are government fiat, and we all know how slow government moves. Sun, 09 Oct 2011 16:33:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (atsureki) Comments