US firm sues HMV over downloads

[Zaelath]

UK music giant HMV and its online distribution partner OD2 are facing legal action over allegations that their music downloading service has infringed a European patent held by US distributor E-Data Corporation.

The move could affect the growth of legal downloading services, seen as vital to stifling the popularity of free file-swapping services such as Kazaa and Grokster.

E-Data has warned several European companies that it will not hesitate to launch further legal action if it finds they are infringing its "Freeny" patent.

The company owns the patent in 10 EU countries. It covers downloading and recording information, such as music, news articles or films, from a computer on to a tangible object, such as a tape, CD or sheet of paper.

Tibor Tallos, president of E-Data, said HMV and OD2 are in clear violation of the patent. "The website of HMV specifically permits the consumer to burn downloaded music onto a CD, or record it onto a portable playing device," he said. "We believe these activities are in clear violation of our patents. We intend to aggressively enforce our intellectual property to the full extent of the law."

HMV and OD2 said they were taking legal advice, but were not available to comment.

When the revolution comes, people that try to enforce trivial patents like this will be the first up against the wall ~ Discuss.

[masteen]

When the revolution comes, people that try to enforce trivial patents like this will be the first up against the wall ~ Discuss.

I have a rifle and my own bullets. Can I be in the firing squad?

[Melrin_Specclaster]

This is stupid. You know (I forget which) one of the online companies has a patent for 'Click and buy'?. They've enforced it before and gotten money, but its stupid that it exist to begin with.

[kyoukan]

amazon.com patented one click purchases and aggresively protect it when they see a company using a similar method.

patent reform is a big issue in the west and not a lot is ever going to get accomplished technology wise until something is done about it. the patent office will let you patent just about anything without even checking to see how silly it is. if I can find it later, I'll dig up an article on patent reform by a guy who actually patented "having fun." he even scanned his patent and put it up online where he described it as the act of performing a task and enjoying yourself while doing it. he also patented swinging from a rope or a swing and making tarzan-like noises.

this seems to be a european patent issue however, and a lot of times americans will not bother recognizing foreign patents even from countries they trade with often.

[Voronwë]

another stupid thing about patents (at least in the US), is the govt agency that handles them, doesnt organize the items up for patent based on expertise needed to understand the patent.

one of my chemsitry professors told me a story about how the same guy who handles bicycle patents handles bicyclic ogranic molecule patents.

hahaha

[Winnow]

Imagine how rich Al Gore would be if he had patented the internet!

[Vaemas]

This one is fun and in a similar vein:

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=11309

Of course, someone has most likely linked it already, but I'm too lazy to do a search.

[kyoukan]

This one is fun and in a similar vein:

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=11309

Of course, someone has most likely linked it already, but I'm too lazy to do a search.

I wouldn't put it passed MS doing that. They are pretty aggresive when it comes to losing lawsuits. Like you can't even download and install a java plugin any longer on windows xp since they lost that suit.

Patent law is pretty stupid. Unfortunately it will probably take huge corps like MS cock blocking smaller companies on patents to get any real reforms.

Its too easy to get a patent, and too hard to contest one in court. The law tends to favor the patent holder no matter how ridiculous it is.

Another stupid patent is Nintendo patenting that cross shaped 4 directional pad on their controllers. And that one guy that is suing like every major videogame publisher and console maker because he patented controlling images on your television set in like the 1960s.

[vn_Tanc]

Other fun patents from the games industry:

Atari own the patent on "3 lives"
Sega own the patent on "Ghost cars"
Remember when the Sega, Amiga and everything had the same joystick D-type connector? Atari owned the patent on that and threatened to sue so everyone changed their controller connectors.
I think Atari own "Continues" as well. Tho that might be a jpn company.

Ker-raziness.

[Siji]

Personally, I think all this crap boils down to one thing that Americans, not only Americans of course but more so than most others on a mass scale, are so full of.. and that's greed. The single largest problem in the world today. Almost everything boils down to it.