Company claiming patent rights for XML

from the 'you've got to be kidding me' department

http://tinyurl.com/dlkoj

--
# www.mattlindi.com
# matt.lindi@your_clothes_mattlindi.com
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And lo, Matt-the-Hoople didst speak in alt.www.webmaster:

> from the 'you've got to be kidding me' department
>
> http://tinyurl.com/dlkoj

What fools these mortals be!

Grey

"Matt-the-Hoople" <matt.lindi2@your_clothes_verizon.net> wrote in message
news:Xns96F99F9247EDAmattlindi2yourclothe@130.81.6 4.196...
> from the 'you've got to be kidding me' department
>
> http://tinyurl.com/dlkoj

He applied for the patent back in 1997 - he might have a case, although
pretty far fetched AND (the way I understand it) if you are going to
actually protect your rights under a patent, you have to show that you
reasonably go after every instance of infringement you find. That could be
quite costly and end up not being worth it.

By the way, we recently applied for a patent and copyrights to
something...wow, it is expensive if you want to make sure its done quickly
and correctly.

--Tina

Quoth Dylan Parry in alt.www.webmaster

> He has no case. XML was first presenting in 1996, and the patent he
> applied for specifically states "a generic way of representing date in a
> non-hierarchical form" which is certainly *not* XML - the man is
> deluded.

Not only that, but XML is a subset of SGML - doesn't that shoot them in the foot right there?

I just find it odd that folks are able to tie up the courts that way.

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# www.mattlindi.com
# matt.lindi@your_clothes_mattlindi.com
# remove _your_clothes_ to email me

Matt-the-Hoople wrote:

> Not only that, but XML is a subset of SGML - doesn't that shoot
> them in the foot right there?

And of course SGML goes back to the 60s, and is an ISO standard.

--
Toby A Inkster BSc (Hons) ARCS
Contact Me ~ http://tobyinkster.co.uk/contact

Tina - AxisHOST, Inc. wrote

> By the way, we recently applied for a patent and copyrights to
> something...wow, it is expensive if you want to make sure its done
> quickly and correctly.

Anything that involves lawyers is expensive! In the UK you can apply for a
patent yourself. You still have to pay the fees, but it's much cheaper
than an intellectual-property lawyer, or Patent Agent as we call them.

I have applied for two patents before. One through a Patent Agent, and one
on my own. Neither came to anything!

--
Charles Sweeney
http://CharlesSweeney.com