Uh-oh: “A patent has been granted to a relatively unknown California Web-design firm for an invention its creator says covers the design and creation of most rich-media applications used over the Internet. The patent holder, Balthaser Online Inc., says it could license nearly any rich-media Internet application across a broad range of devices and networks. …The patent — issued on Valentine’s Day — covers all rich-media technology implementations, including Flash, Flex, Java, Ajax, and XAML, when the rich-media application is accessed on any device over the Internet, including desktops, mobile devices, set-top boxes, and video game consoles, says inventor Neil Balthaser, CEO of Balthaser Online, which he owns with his father Ken.” (Eric Chabrow, “U.S. Grants Patent For Broad Range Of Internet Rich Applications”, Information Week, Feb. 22).
Flash, Java? We’ve got those patented
Uh-oh: “A patent has been granted to a relatively unknown California Web-design firm for an invention its creator says covers the design and creation of most rich-media applications used over the Internet. The patent holder, Balthaser Online Inc., says it could license nearly any rich-media Internet application across a broad range of devices and networks. […]
2 Comments
Because he began developing the methods and processes more than a half decade ago, he believes he can prove his invention is novel and nonobvious, two requirements to get a patent, and can fend off any patent challenges from potential licensees who might contend the invention is neither new nor obscure. “Are we ready to defend our patent?” Balthaser asks. “Absolutely. We’re ready to defend it vigorously if we have to. But [litigation is] not the approach we’re taking in terms of licensing.”
I’m neither a patent lawyer nor a software developer, but I’m pretty sure that Flash and Java have been around for more than “half a decade.” The USPTO is notorious, at least in internet circles, for granting patents to obvious applications with lots of prior art. Is this another example? Or am I missing something?
I’d like to patent the transfer of email acrross the internet. Just as reasonable as what this guy has somehow managed to do…