[Patents] Patents on hyperlinks

[Gael Pegliasco gael.pegliasco@telecorporate.com]

Hello,

Bellow is a french article from 'Internet Actu' where it is said that
Bristish Telecom is suing American Providers because of their patent on
hyperlinks.

I think this could be a great 'argument' to show how stupid and
dangerous it could be to allow patents on software.
I'd like to send this article to the european commission in charge of
studiing the beneficts of patents on software, but I'd like to compare
it with something more usual, I'm not sure that all these people are
programmers and can understand the sillyness of this patent.

Well, sorry if I hurt someone, but it appears that people who allow
patents on software seems not allways to understand what they allow :
this patent illustrate this, so this is why I like to compare this
patent with something in common life.

Do you think that :

"Patenting hyperlinks is like patenting crosswalk or doors and asking
money each time people use these" is a good comparison ?

Well, thanks for yours suggestions and sorry for my terrible english.

With kind regards,

Gaël Pegliasco.



----- The article -----

BREVET: BT ne lâche pas "ses" hyperliens

Détenteur d'un brevet décrivant le lien hypertexte, British Telecom
continue de traquer tous les fournisseurs d'accès à Internet américains.
Le brevet n'est en effet valable qu'aux Etats-Unis. Selon le magazine
The Register, l'opérateur britannique serait sur le point de traîner
devant les tribunaux les FAI qui ne veulent pas payer pour ce brevet
ridicule.
http://www.internetactu.com/archives/iactu42.html#edi
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/15041.html ;(in english)
http://www.eurolinux.org/news/pr2/indexen.html#text