Re: Freedom Scientific's Lawyers Strike Again

  • From: "tribble" <lauraeaves@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:14:08 -0500

I would agree. But supposedly the people sorting out the facts and making 
the decisions would be expert enough to spot a snow job by FS.  Certainly 
they wouldn't leav it to lawyers...
I got asked to review some patent applications by other companies when I was 
working -- I was able to say for one of them hat the stuff they were trying 
to patent had been done by at least 2 companies as well as by me at at&t. 
Of course M$ "invented" all that stuff after everyone else had done it 
first...*winky* and they have the resources to keep their implementation 
going.
Ah, the fickle finger of success.
Take care.
--le


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jamal Mazrui" <empower@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, July 25, 2008 6:21 AM
Subject: RE: Freedom Scientific's Lawyers Strike Again


Hi Ken,
I suspect you were being tongue in cheeck (and I love your sense of
humor!).  Although legal fights can be entertaining, I don't see how this
is in the interest of blind people, forcing a company to spend money on
defending against litigation rather than on R&D to improve access to
mainstream software.

FYI -- the patent FS claims was violated is described at
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=%226,993,707+B2%22&OS=

I'm amazed that FS thought its placemarker feature was innovative enough
to patent.  This seems like an example of taking advantage of the magical
nature of assistive technology to the uninformed, and then trying to
leverage it in questionable trade practices for corporate gain.  The fact
that GW was never notified of the concern while its product has been in
beta with public demos strongly suggests that the aim is to damage GW
economically, not actually to protect intellectual property.

What do others think?

Jamal
 On
Fri, 25 Jul
2008, Ken Perry wrote:

> Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:43:30 -0700
> From: Ken Perry <whistler@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Reply-To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: RE: Freedom Scientific's Lawyers Strike Again
>
>
>
> I say let them fight and while they are fighting I hope Saratek is coding.
>
> Ken
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jared Wright
> Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2008 6:58 PM
> To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: Freedom Scientific's Lawyers Strike Again
>
> Hi James, Worked here just now, so I'm not sure what's at fault. The long
> and short is that Freedom claims GW Micro's implementation of webpage
> placemarkers in Window Eyes 7 violates their patint on, I guess, being 
> able
> to have placemarkers on a webpage. They  filed litigation today.
>
> Jared
>
>
> Jared
>
> James Panes wrote:
> > Hi Guys,
> >
> > Just thought I would let you know that this page is not available.
> >
> > Did FS lawyers have something to do with this?
> >
> > Regards,
> > Jim
> > jimpanes@xxxxxxxxx
> > jimpanes@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> > "Everything is easy when you know how."
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Jared Wright" <wright.jaredm@xxxxxxxxx>
> > To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2008 12:53 PM
> > Subject: Freedom Scientific's Lawyers Strike Again
> >
> >
> > http://www.gwmicro.com/blog/index.php/all/2008/07/24/do_companies_real
> > ly_compete_on_who_has_t
> >
> > Read it and weep, at least if seeing screen readers compete on their
> > functionality for all our general betterment is at all appealing to you.
> > Jared
> >
> >
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