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<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>I
blogged about it here <a
href="http://deancollinsblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/software-patents.html">http://deancollinsblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/software-patents.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>Though
I think GigaOm nailed it when they wrote <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span
lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span
lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:black'>"<em><i><font
face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'>Verizon
can’t make the Internet go away with a patent lawsuit"</span></font></i></em>.</span></font><font
color="#cccccc" face="Trebuchet MS"><span lang=EN style='font-family:"Trebuchet MS";
color:#CCCCCC'><br>
<a href="http://gigaom.com/2007/04/08/voip-patent-mess/">http://gigaom.com/2007/04/08/voip-patent-mess/</a></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>Cheers,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>Dean
Collins<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>Cognation
Pty Ltd<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><st1:PersonName w:st="on"><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt'>dean@cognation.net</span></font></st1:PersonName><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>+1-212-203-4357
Ph<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>+1-917-207-3420
Mb<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>+61-2-9016-5642
(<st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Sydney</st1:place></st1:City>
in-dial).<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
-----Original Message-----</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
From: asterisk-users-bounces@lists.digium.com</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
[mailto:asterisk-users-bounces@lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of Stephen Bosch</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2007 2:23 PM</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
To: <st1:PersonName w:st="on">Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial
Discussion</st1:PersonName></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
Subject: Re: [asterisk-users] Verizon-Vonage Lawsuit</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
Salvatore Giudice wrote:</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
> BTW, the main problem with these patents is that they tend to lower the</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
rate</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
> of adoption for new standards. Nothing kills a standard quicker than when</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
> someone patents it.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
> For example, someone out there even has a patent on ENUM:</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20060020713.html?highlight=enum&stemming=o</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
n</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
> It made me mad that he beat me to it. Roflol... Regardless, this won't</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
help</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
> with ENUM adoption.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
> Any joker with about $6k per patent and some time on his hands to monitor</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
> emerging standards can easily generate some patent entertainment for</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
> themselves at the expense of others...</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
> So, the question of the day is: "Have you thought about patenting</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
something</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
> today?"</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
> It's easy. I just got a new idea while writing this for an ENUM related</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
> patent that I may pursue at some point... =)</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
The <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region>
patent system is totally broken. It started with lobbying efforts</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
to relax the applicability rules for patents for short-term gain. In the</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
long term, it's going to do big damage to American competitiveness.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
And that's the sad thing about this. It discourages actual innovation</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
(despite Wall Street protests to the contrary). If everytime you want to</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
build on somebody else's work you have to build a skein of licencing</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
agreements, you start to ask yourself, "why should I bother?" More
and</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
more companies are answering that one with "We shouldn't" -- there's</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
enough action to be had in other parts of the world, where the</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
conditions are much less onerous.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
Another example of that kind of short-sighted thinking is what happened</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
to the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region>
crypto business when all the export controls were brought in.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
(A lot of damage was done in exchange for no demonstrable security benefit.)</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
Obviously, a market that big and moneyed isn't going to be ignored: how</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
can it be? But what used to be a no-brainer isn't so obvious anymore --</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
staying out of the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region>
market is a serious option where it wasn't before,</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
and that just leads to further Balkanization.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
It's fitting that an open source product like Asterisk is helping keep</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region>
in the game.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
-Stephen-</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>>
_______________________________________________</span></font></p>
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