On CHOW: Does drinking ice water burn calories?
BNET Business Network:
BNET
TechRepublic
ZDNet
TalkBack 48 of 92:
Next »
« Previous
It applies to plug-ins and applets
It wouldn't apply to run-of-the-mill web applications that just use HTML controls, do round trips, and all that. The patent covers the concept of an applet (no matter the type--including ActiveX elements in a page) executing inside a web page that communicates with a server.

The point I've always brought up with this is that Sun would be vulnerable to this as well, since they developed Java applet technology, though to my knowledge Eolas never went after Sun. I think they could have though.

Robert Cringely has been covering this issue for a long time. I remember reading his articles on it a couple years ago. He talked about a demo the company gave to both MS and Sun reps. showing this applet technology they had invented around about 1992, something like that. The web browser hadn't even been invented yet. Nevertheless, Eolas showed an applet running inside another application, sending data back and forth to/from a server, providing interactivity to the user.

The only thing I remember about the case is I heard that Eolas objected to MS using the same tag to mark the use of an ActiveX control in a web page that was mentioned in their patent specification. Something like that.

The problem is a LOT of other companies apparently are affected by the outcome of this case, since they use MS's ActiveX technology. I think I remember that web advertisers were particularly affected. When the 2003 ruling came down, even some people in the open source and W3C community felt they needed to challenge it. Some helped out with the appeal.
Posted by: Mark Miller   Posted on: 09/30/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
Reply to Story Reply to Message

Alert moderator to an offensive message

Subscribe to this discussion via Email or RSS

Awful day for all Americans  Mike Cox | 09/29/05
Ok, now that's too funny...  BitTwiddler | 09/29/05
ROFLMAO!!! 10.0!  Linux User 147560 | 09/29/05
10.0+, Mikey!  Judas I. | 09/29/05
Was not able to stop laughing 10.9  gagnon_pascal@... | 09/29/05
Ditto happy .. the music selection ... LOLL!  rick752 | 09/29/05
and the photo album ... can't stop laughing!!  rick752 | 09/29/05
Loved your site and sense of humor  BXLE | 09/29/05
Above and beyond...  Loverock Davidson | 09/29/05
Mike, you now owe me a keyboard and a mouse!  crash89 | 09/29/05
I don't under stand all the whining  duclod | 09/29/05
What Programmers?  matrixdomain | 09/29/05
Are you disconnected  jmills@... | 09/29/05
LOL  Anti_Zealot | 09/30/05
So..  Patrick Jones | 09/30/05
...OK in my book grin  Anti_Zealot | 09/30/05
BTW ...  IanX | 09/30/05
Applause  Real World | 09/30/05
Dang it!  Cardinal_Bill | 09/30/05
A GREAT day for all Americans  johnpall@... | 10/05/05
My rep says you're a real laugh panic!  WiredGuy | 10/06/05
The end of software patents in USA  Nigel Johnstone | 09/29/05
Well, the patent system worked.  Anton Philidor | 09/29/05
Well, that's one way to get rid of ActiveX...  BitTwiddler | 09/29/05
Get rid of it?  Anton Philidor | 09/29/05
How so?  Cardinal_Bill | 09/29/05
Stole?  rapson | 09/29/05
Perhaps crazy decisions like this will help in the long run  tic swayback | 09/29/05
Well gee!  Cardinal_Bill | 09/29/05
I guess this is it working then  Nigel Johnstone | 09/29/05
Yes, the patent sytem has worked  IT_User | 09/29/05
Half right, Anton  Update victim | 09/30/05
Patents are still time-limited  tic swayback | 09/30/05
SPECIAL REPORT: Spyware Authors across the world keel over with coronaries.  BitTwiddler | 09/29/05
Great day, no more prior art arguments  Boot_Agnostic | 09/29/05
Could you repeat that?  vdraken | 09/29/05
P a t e n t O f f i c e s t i n k s  Boot_Agnostic | 10/03/05
Some interesting quotes from Eolas' Mike Doyle.  Yen_z | 09/29/05
Doyle is un-American...  Mike Cox | 09/29/05
I tried to read your blog...  Yen_z | 09/29/05
I hate backseat drivers  chameleon@... | 09/29/05
Microsoft brought the Internet to the public?  Henry Miller | 09/29/05
Al Gore  Middle of the Road | 09/30/05
Then he failed even to claim the credit  IT_User | 09/30/05
Invent?  rapson | 09/29/05
Answers here  tic swayback | 09/29/05
I wonder how far this patent extends.  Anton Philidor | 09/29/05
It applies to plug-ins and applets  Mark Miller | 09/30/05
Thanks.  Anton Philidor | 09/30/05
Patent enforcement  tic swayback | 09/30/05
Even if Eolas did distinguish...  Anton Philidor | 09/30/05
Standards?  Dr_Zinj | 10/06/05
Here's what I've found.  Yen_z | 09/29/05
Ironic.  Anton Philidor | 09/29/05
Of course, there's always a lot of...  Yen_z | 09/29/05
Ah, for the Celts...  Anton Philidor | 09/29/05
no way anton  Monkey_MCSE | 09/29/05
Doubly ironic  Fred Fredrickson | 10/01/05
Funny. You forget about Macromedia, Apple, Adobe  John Zern | 10/01/05
Not at all  Fred Fredrickson | 10/02/05
Money could have been better spent  tic swayback | 09/29/05
Eolas Laughs Last  songquorunsunyen@... | 09/29/05
Eolas not laughing quite yet...  John Zern | 10/01/05
Back to court we go  John L. Ries | 09/29/05
They also have the...  sykandtyed | 09/29/05
If I understand this right...  John L. Ries | 09/29/05
Funny  rapson | 09/30/05
Can't be wrong all the time  John L. Ries | 09/30/05
What are we gonna talk about?  IT_User | 09/30/05
Patent Office reaffirms itself  BruceWheelock@... | 09/29/05
New to reexamination,eh?  IT_User | 09/29/05
This was director-ordered re-exam  Buckyball | 09/29/05
The real news about MS ...  George Mitchell | 09/29/05
george, thank for the link  Monkey_MCSE | 09/29/05
Sounds like a Mike Cox alter-ego article  rick752 | 09/29/05
This article if true ...  ShadeTree | 09/30/05
But it also reinforces the many suggestions...  MacCanuck | 09/30/05
DId they admit. it? Who runs the link  John Zern | 10/01/05
Apparently they did...  MacCanuck | 10/06/05
has the article has been pulled?  barocca | 04/11/06
Good article  rapson | 09/30/05
If you can't steal it, counter sue  sykandtyed | 09/29/05
What did MS 'steal'?  vdraken | 09/30/05
RE: What did MS 'steal'?  orlando@... | 09/30/05
Please Folks...read story again.  computer_man | 09/29/05
Forget that, I invented Windows (nt)  George Jay | 09/29/05
Forget that, with the patent office, I claim to have patented  Boot_Agnostic | 09/30/05
What I hate about HOW the patent system works  jmills@... | 09/29/05
Sue till oposition can't afford it anymore.  ingram091 | 10/01/05
Stop when they get it right.  John L. Ries | 10/01/05
Faster then Light Engine  John Zern | 10/01/05
Good, now IBM can sue Eolas  Boot_Agnostic | 10/03/05

What do you think?

SponsoredWhite Papers, Webcasts, and Downloads

advertisement
advertisement

Meet Doc

  • Here to help you with your Document Management Needs
  • Doc is an enigma. Born to a Russian ballerina and a German electrical engineer, he grew up in various locations in the United States. He’s seen the insides of more brands, versions, and generations of printer and printer-related hardware than almost anyone.
  • To learn more about this mysterious figure check out his blog on ZDNet. You’ll be glad you did.
  • Produced by
    ZDNet and