Re-write all your multimedia web pages?
Since Eolas won $521million in a lawsuit against Microsoft last month, Microsoft, Macromedia and the W3C have been in conclave on how to work around the patent dispute. Eolas seem to own the patent on a browser's ability to automatically launch and display multimedia programs with plug-ins - eg, click and see a Flash movie/ hear an MP3 / watch a quick-time video.
One way round the monumentally moronic ruling is for broswer manufacturers to insert dialogue boxes ("Are you sure you want to see the movie you clicked to watch, yes or no?") between broswer and plug-in. Another way is to move the data to the Web page itself, rather than pulling it from an external source - requiring a huge amount of work on the part of the developer. That's you.
This issue potentially affects every modern browser, although only Microsoft has been sued. Microsoft is appealing. (More on ZDNet.) It's pretty obvious that Eolas are very petty: their website points out "A final note: Eolas also 'invented' (designed, actually) the now-ubiquitous stylized "e" logo. IBM purchased rights to use it from us in 1997." Well, aren't they clever?
This is an example of a stupid lawsuit and a ridiculous patent, although U.S. patent officers have a history of approving idiotic things like this - for example, Amazon patenting "one-click" e-commerce.
Maybe if enough people write to Eolas and ask them to stop pursuing this claim, they'll listen. Here's a mail that I sent them today; I'll post any response I get from them.
Dear Sir or Madam,
I write to ask you to take the half a billion dollars you've won from Microsoft and demand no more royalties from Microsoft or any Web browser manufacturer, nor require them to make any changes to their browser software. Forcing browser manufacturers like Opera or Mozilla to pay enormous punitive damages to you would almost certainly cause them bankruptcy, restricting choice for the web browsing public.
Requiring work-arounds such as dialogue boxes before plug-ins can be launched from a browser will damage the user experience and set the Web back years. Forcing developers to rework old sites to change the basic structure of them could conceivably kill the Web industry, as in the current economic climate, many corporations will decide not to maintain a Web presence rather than pay to amend perfectly good Web sites.
Sincerely, Bruce Lawson
www.DMXzone.com
Comments
this is what I wrote
drop the bulshit about the patent
guy's don't be silly. It's stupid to think you can patent "the ability to automatically launch and display multimedia programs with plug-ins" drop this stupid claim and be open-minded. peter:-))
Of course this guys are going to milk this opportunity as much as they can! Isn't SCO doing the same? The problem is not Eolas, but the weird and blocked-up patenting rules, predatory to a high-volatile and creative industry as IT. If Eolas is community responsible however, they should set a kind of foundation to give money back to people promoting social-oriented, novel or promising initiatives.
I think M$ is only bluffing to get a reasonable patent agreement. Eolas shouldn't be too eager for gain however.
Alex
It's starting to get scary...
I 'm sensing that in the near future, we'll be living a world as described in Gibson's books...Why not patent the ability to open the door and enter the house immediately??????
Or the ability to flip the switch and see light at the same moment????
I agree MS has made an empire of itself -by force- but this is too much !
Angelos
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