This company patented this flash function?Does it mean I cant use it?

[leehoom]

A site owner claims to have patented a method of superimposing an image from the site on a user uploaded image - say, adding a widget cover from the site to a picture of a widget uploaded by the user.

May I know whether he have the right to prevent my site to implement similar function using flash?

If it does, can I patent bolding a word in a document and prevent other to do it?

[edited by: rogerd at 5:39 pm (utc) on June 11, 2008]
[edit reason] URL and specifics removed [/edit]

[rogerd]

The first thing to do is find and read the patent, leehoom, and see exactly what the claims are (if the patent exists). They might be very narrow indeed, and easy for you to work around in creating a similar function.

If the patent is valid and the claims appear to cover your intended application, you could also challenge the validity of the patent. That, however, would be very expensive and time consuming. Ignoring the patent and taking your chances would put you at risk of being taken to court, also expensive.

When it comes to intellectual property law, it's often more about who has deeper pockets than who is actually right according to the law.

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