Re: Weblet patent

Benjamin Franz ([email protected])
Mon, 21 Aug 1995 18:46:20 -0700 (PDT)


On Mon, 21 Aug 1995, Mike Doyle wrote:

> Please note from our Web site that, in almost all cases, Eolas'
> Weblet-related technologies will be licensed free of charge for
> noncommercial use.

You can bet your sweet bippy they will be - invalidated patents collect no
royalties.

In the last few dozen messages several people have pointed out several
examples of prior art (what is a postscript file if not an applet?), overly
vague terminology (just *exactly* what is a 'world wide web document'?)
that could imply that the patent would be impermissibly broad, and the
fact that it is an obvious invention well discussed in the field long before
your patent (public discussion of the idea of downloading programs dates
back to AT LEAST May 1992:

Date: Thu, 21 May 92 14:21:41 GMT+0200
From: timbl (Tim Berners-Lee)
Message-id: <9205211221.AA10960@ nxoc01.cern.ch >
To: "(Arnold Bloemer)" <[email protected]>
Subject: Program Links in WWW
Cc: [email protected]
)

Tell you what - how about you put up a copy of the patent application
somewhere where we can actually read it - and then we can see if we
really are are 'reading too much' into your press release.

Betcha we aren't. Unless your patent application is *MUCH* narrower than
it appears so far - it has NO chance of being finally upheld.

-- 
Benjamin Franz