Yet another win for common sense and the public purse.
https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-busts-podcasting-patent-invalidating-key-claims-patent-officeThe U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) invalidated key claims in the so-called “podcasting patent” today after a petition for review from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)—a decision that significantly curtails the ability of a patent troll to threaten podcasters big and small.
“We’re grateful for all the support of our challenge to this patent. Today is a big victory for the podcasting community” said EFF Staff Attorney Daniel Nazer, who also holds the Mark Cuban Chair to Eliminate Stupid Patents. “We’re glad the Patent Office recognized what we all knew: ‘podcasting’ had been around for many years and this company does not own it.”
One has to ask seriously why such clams for patent protection where not investigated in the first place to ensure the claim was both valid and original.
Whilst its nice to see the USPTO cleaning up the mess it created, its a shame that donated financial resources that could go to a better cause will continue to be wasted before they act, one should also remember that the costs of this kind of blatant patent trolling activity tends to end up being passed on to Joe public.
