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Prepaid Mobile Phone Providers Have To Pay The Patent Toll Master
from the pay-up! dept
A few mobile operators, including Cingular, have apparently lost a patent lawsuit involving a patent over offering "prepaid" accounts. The firms now have to pay $130 million for what appears to be a questionable patent. Prepaid accounts, which are much more popular outside the US than within, are a pretty straightforward concept. Instead of buying a regular monthly "subscription," users prepay, and get a certain number of minutes. By prepaying, the operators avoid having any credit risk, as they already have the money. Who knew that such an idea was patentable? Once again, isn't it about time the patent office came up with a better test for obviousness?
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Obviousness - in Existance
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Prepaid Accounts
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No Subject Given
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i like
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