HoustonChronicle.com – BlackBerry pledges patent fight in U.S. — The logic of the patent for “wireless email” eludes me. Is there a patent on wireless web-browsing? A patent on wireless file transfer? If something is wired and then moves to wireless do all the patents on the wired technology have to be done for wireless? There is something wrong with this picture. Of course the Canadians are protesting the validity of any US Patent in Canada. Yeah, right, like that’s going to work. Do they think they are China now?
TORONTO – The Canadian creators of the BlackBerry, the wildly successful wireless e-mail device embraced by many Americans, say they will take their patent dispute with a Virginia company all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, if necessary.T
And they just got a powerful ally. The Canadian government has stepped into the patent infringement case, determined to protect the nation’s greatest high-tech success story. The Canadian Department of Justice made a filing this month.
Chalk this one up to, “Why it is scary when politicians make judgments about things over which they haven’t a clue.” I read the original patents and it is absolutely lunacy to be able to patent wireless email. The device itself could be patentable. But the concept of wireless email should not.
I have to admire the Canadian government’s stance. Basically, the US patent office and the Courts have to get a clue. Welcome to the global economy. AFAIK, there is nothing to stop people from purchasing Blackberry’s directly from RIM’s site.
John, where have you been? Now that business patents and software patents are allowed, ANYTHING can be patented!
Amazon can patent using one click to buy. Microsoft can patent the double click. And MercExchange LLC can essentially patent selling stuff online and sue the heck out of Ebay.
If business patents were around in the 1800s, people would have patented selling stuff in a building with a roof.
Here’s the deal. Despite these large lawsuits against big businesses, big business LOVES these patents. They protect the status quo. If Microsoft has patents on nearly ever aspect of computing, then it’ll be impossible for something new to come out to compete with Windows.
Once software and business patents are valid throughout the world, we are going to see a tremendous stagnation of technology. The status quo won’t have any incentive to innovate. And it’ll be impossible for any small computer to get even a start without risking a lawsuit.
And worse of all, there is NOTHING to stop this. The citizens of the world don’t care. Big business wants it. And the politicians do what big business wants.
At least the Canadian government is trying to stand for their inventors and industrialists, Take a good look at recent history of Uncle Sugar on conflicts between American small business vs. the outsourcing giants of the world! The word is “faciltator” not “defender”.
The Bush Administration is more concerned with defending the Old Testament than the skills, products and jobs of American designers.
John, I need your advice. I was checking patents and I noticed that my invention doesn’t show up.
It involves the inhalation and exhalation of a nitrogen/oxygen combination to ensure health and longer life. I call it “Breathing”.
Do you think I have a chance?