[8477] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: Multimedia has been patented
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Alan Sugarman)
Sat Nov 20 11:18:01 1993
Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1993 11:06:30 -0500 (EST)
From: Alan Sugarman <sugarman@panix.com>
To: "Tansin A. Darcos & Company" <0005066432@mcimail.com>
Cc: Privatizing the Internet <com-priv@psi.com>
In-Reply-To: <0119931120035600/0005066432NA1EM-b100000@MCIMAIL.COM>
On Sat, 20 Nov 1993, Tansin A. Darcos & Company wrote:
> From: Paul Robinson <TDARCOS@MCIMAIL.COM>
> Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA
> -----
>
> Alan Sugarman <sugarman@panix.com>, writes:
>
> > Another example is that West Publishing company is attempting to patent
> > its natural language software as if they invented it.
>
> If one of their employees did invent it, they have every right to choose
> to apply for patent protection. Whether they can get it or whether it is
> valid is another matter.
>
> Are you claiming that they did not invent it, or that computer languages
> are not patentable?
Paul, calm down. The reason for the message was to alert interested
persons as to the patent application. I have not seen the application --
I have only seen a few lines in a trade publication referring to the
application, followed by silence in the print media. One company,
Personal Librarian Software scoffed at the application, claiming that it
covered processes that PLS had offered for years.
Given the track record of West in the copyright area, we can reasonably
assume that the claims are overbroad and that if West is granted a patent
it will use it litigation power to browbeat everyone into submission.
Natural language searching has been around for years. If West obtains an
overbroad patent, it will will have drastic consquences.
If there is a patent attorney who reads this, I would appreciate his/her
comments plus any futher information on the patent application.
In the mean time, I did not state that West should be denied a patent for
anything that it invented. That was your spin, and could not be inferred
from my message.
Alan sugarman
