US patent granted on rich media applications

[simon2263]

See [developerpipeline.com...] for an article concerning a patent covering "the design and development of most rich media applications on the internet".

Any clues on how this might affect us? It seems a bit rich to create so broad a patent, not with the intention of actually creating something, but just to make money from other people's efforts.

[kaled]

A patent isn't really a patent until it's been tested in court. He plans to sell it rather than test it. If he were to test it in court and win, its value would be vastly greater, therefore, we can conclude that he is not confident of winning in court.

That being the case, it is likely no one will touch it. Companies like Google and MS don't need the bad publicity (or the potential revenue) so what sort of company will be interested. It will require
1) Deep pockets for paying lawyers.
2) Total lack of concern for bad publicity.
3) A gambler's attitude - one that likes longish odds.
4) Patience - there'll be no payoff for years (if it pays off at all).

Kaled.