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Legal Issues

by Mike Masnick

Mon, Dec 16th 2002 4:26pm





Porn Kings Aflame Over Multimedia Patents

from the not-again dept

It seems like yet another company built entirely on the basis of a few patents they bought is now going around trying to demand licenses from thousands of companies, who they hope will just pay up to avoid having to pay legal fees. In this case, the patents have to do with digitally transmitting audio and video, and the patent holding company has chosen an interesting tactic to start the lawsuits: they're going after porn websites. The theory is that porn website owners want to keep a low profile, and if the cases go to court, it's tougher to get people to support porn companies. However, the porn sites are banding together and are going to try to fight back. Yet another example of how our patent system needs to be reformed. How exactly is this company helping to stimulate innovation?

6 Comments | Leave a Comment

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  1.  
    identicon
    dorpus, Dec 16th, 2002 @ 4:34pm

    Good Idea

    This way the bad guys waste energy fighting each other. Many, if not most, porn operators are sleazy characters who operate on the fringes of the law (if they aren't, in fact, outlaws). The porn operators will waste their scarce resources fighting an expensive lawsuit, and the patent hogs will waste energy on a lawsuit that is likely to have many appeals and take years.


     

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  2.  
    identicon
    doorfus37, Dec 17th, 2002 @ 6:21am

    No Subject Given

    i think they made a mistake in taking on the porn industry, as they generally they have more cash (flow) than the average streaming website. the downside is if there isnt a decisive outcome, the multimedia patent owning smacktards may starting going after average people while the patent beaurocrat smacktards keep whittling the wood sticks they've collected....ignoring the calendar & current reality.

     

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  3.  
    identicon
    Milnesy, Dec 17th, 2002 @ 1:58pm

    It astounds me....

    that you can own patents on just plain theory. What if the defendants in these cases say that they are using another form of transmission... then what?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  
    identicon
    Bill, Aug 28th, 2006 @ 3:10am

    Re: Good Idea

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  5.  
    identicon
    Jack Bon Er, Jul 13th, 2007 @ 4:40pm

    whatever... ?

    Whatever happened to the lawsuits?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  6.  
    identicon
    Sam, Mar 31st, 2008 @ 2:06am

    There's no problem in adult industry. most porn sites use galleries provided by big porn channels. they on other side have legal rights for ad distribution. mobile porn

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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