[Patents] BT and Hyperlink patent

[Bernard Lang Bernard.Lang@inria.fr]

I received this

  I think it appeared in computergram


----- Forwarded message  -----


 BT Pursues Hyperlink Patent, Considers Legal Action

British Telecommunications Plc is doggedly pursuing its claim 
to a patent on the concept of hyperlinking and has not ruled 
out legal action against US internet service providers that 
refuse to pay license royalties. 

The UK incumbent carrier has hired intellectual property 
protection company Scipher Plc, which yesterday said in its 
interim financial report that it is "actively carrying out" the 
BT commission that was first announced in June. BT spokespeople 
are reported as saying the company may consider legal action 
against companies that do not comply. The company was not 
available for comment at press time. 

While the 11-year-old patent ostensibly covers any application 
of the concept of hyperlinking (so every single company that 
utilizes the web is affected), BT has said it will only pursue 
license fees from major ISPs. The technology described in the 
patent is almost 20 years old, and the patent itself is couched 
in archaic (by internet standards) language that bears little 
resemblance to HTML. 

The patent is only valid in the US due to the length of the 
validity of technology patents across the Atlantic and because 
the US Patent and Trademark Office was unusually tardy in 
granting the application. 

A spokesperson for Virginia-based PSINet Inc, which could be a 
target of the enforcement, said he believes BT is only 
targeting consumer ISPs. A spokesperson for EarthLink Network 
Inc, the US's second-largest consumer ISP, confirmed that BT 
had approached the company earlier this year, but refused to 
comment further.



----- End forwarded message -----

-- 
         Non aux Brevets Logiciels  -  No to Software Patents
           SIGNEZ    http://petition.eurolinux.org/    SIGN

Bernard.Lang@inria.fr             ,_  /\o    \o/    Tel  +33 1 3963 5644
http://pauillac.inria.fr/~lang/  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  Fax  +33 1 3963 5469
            INRIA / B.P. 105 / 78153 Le Chesnay CEDEX / France
         Je n'exprime que mon opinion - I express only my opinion
                 CAGED BEHIND WINDOWS or FREE WITH LINUX