<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 -->
<!--X-Subject: RE: [MUD-Dev] patents and muds -->
<!--X-From-R13: Qlaor eh Fnera <plaorNzhd.bet> -->
<!--X-Date: Thu, 14 Oct 1999 14:29:57 -0700 -->
<!--X-Message-Id: 199910141949.OAA07842#laurel,actlab.utexas.edu -->
<!--X-Content-Type: text/plain -->
<!--X-Head-End-->
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
<html>
<head>
<title>MUD-Dev message, RE: [MUD-Dev] patents and muds</title>
<!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" -->
<link rev="made" href="mailto:cynbe#muq,org">
</head>
<body background="/backgrounds/paperback.gif" bgcolor="#ffffff"
text="#000000" link="#0000FF" alink="#FF0000" vlink="#006000">
<font size="+4" color="#804040">
<strong><em>MUD-Dev<br>mailing list archive</em></strong>
</font>
<br>
[ <a href="../">Other Periods</a>
| <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a>
| <a href="/search.php3">Search</a>
]
<br clear=all><hr>
<!--X-Body-Begin-->
<!--X-User-Header-->
<!--X-User-Header-End-->
<!--X-TopPNI-->
Date:
[ <a href="msg00062.html">Previous</a>
| <a href="msg00064.html">Next</a>
]
Thread:
[ <a href="msg00062.html">Previous</a>
| <a href="msg00070.html">Next</a>
]
Index:
[ <A HREF="author.html#00063">Author</A>
| <A HREF="#00063">Date</A>
| <A HREF="thread.html#00063">Thread</A>
]
<!--X-TopPNI-End-->
<!--X-MsgBody-->
<!--X-Subject-Header-Begin-->
<H1>RE: [MUD-Dev] patents and muds</H1>
<HR>
<!--X-Subject-Header-End-->
<!--X-Head-of-Message-->
<UL>
<LI><em>To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI>
<LI><em>Subject</em>: RE: [MUD-Dev] patents and muds</LI>
<LI><em>From</em>: Cynbe ru Taren <<A HREF="mailto:cynbe#muq,org">cynbe#muq,org</A>></LI>
<LI><em>Date</em>: Thu, 14 Oct 1999 14:49:20 -0500</LI>
<LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI>
<LI><em>Sender</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev-admin#kanga,nu">mud-dev-admin#kanga,nu</A></LI>
</UL>
<!--X-Head-of-Message-End-->
<!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin-->
<HR>
<!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End-->
<!--X-Body-of-Message-->
<PRE>
Bruce Mitchener wrote:
> Can this list help to serve as an archive of prior art? Has anyone run into
> problems of this nature yet?
In the '80s, I participated in a legal fight to reverse a bogus
trademark.
The case was open-and-shut, the other side was conducted by a
semi-senile fool with the unpaid help of a lawyer friend with no
relevant expertise, they made about every legal mistake possible, we
did everything about as cheaply and well as possible...
... and it still took nearly a decade and over $20,000 to win.
Reversing a -patent- defended by a company with anything approximating
sane, paid legal advice would be -much- harder, no matter how clear
the prior art.
This whole area is dominated by case law made by and for mega-corporations
fighting their private duels: Considerations of public interest and
such get -very- short shrift.
So the practical question is less, "Do we have prior art to show,"
than "Do we have people willing to spend hundreds of thousands of
dollars (doing things -very- cheaply) and years out of their lives to
contest this?"
Barring a friendly billionaire who thinks fighting bogus software
patents sounds like a neat sideline to get into, the answer is almost
certainly going to be, "No."
On the bright side, a lawsuit against an open source project for
patent infringement is going to be expensive to win and unprofitable
even when won: The target is legally diffuse and can easily legally
relocate to a country with sane patent laws.
My Muq server source is currently distributed only from the
Netherlands. Seemed legally advisable. :)
Cynbe
_______________________________________________
MUD-Dev maillist - MUD-Dev#kanga,nu
<A HREF="http://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev">http://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev</A>
</PRE>
<!--X-Body-of-Message-End-->
<!--X-MsgBody-End-->
<!--X-Follow-Ups-->
<HR>
<!--X-Follow-Ups-End-->
<!--X-References-->
<!--X-References-End-->
<!--X-BotPNI-->
<UL>
<LI>Prev by Date:
<STRONG><A HREF="msg00062.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] patents and muds</A></STRONG>
</LI>
<LI>Next by Date:
<STRONG><A HREF="msg00064.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></STRONG>
</LI>
<LI>Prev by thread:
<STRONG><A HREF="msg00062.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] patents and muds</A></STRONG>
</LI>
<LI>Next by thread:
<STRONG><A HREF="msg00070.html">[MUD-Dev] patents and muds</A></STRONG>
</LI>
<LI>Index(es):
<UL>
<LI><A HREF="index.html#00063"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI>
<LI><A HREF="thread.html#00063"><STRONG>Thread</STRONG></A></LI>
</UL>
</LI>
</UL>
<!--X-BotPNI-End-->
<!--X-User-Footer-->
<!--X-User-Footer-End-->
<ul><li>Thread context:
<BLOCKQUOTE><UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00055" HREF="msg00055.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Best Guy on the Mud Thing</A></strong>,
Greg Miller <a href="mailto:gmiller#classic-games,com">gmiller#classic-games,com</a>, Thu 14 Oct 1999, 18:07 GMT
<LI><strong><A NAME="00045" HREF="msg00045.html">[MUD-Dev] patents and muds</A></strong>,
Bruce Mitchener, Jr. <a href="mailto:bruce#puremagic,com">bruce#puremagic,com</a>, Thu 14 Oct 1999, 18:07 GMT
<UL>
<li><Possible follow-up(s)><br>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00061" HREF="msg00061.html">RE: [MUD-Dev] patents and muds</A></strong>,
Sellers, Michael <a href="mailto:MSellers#maxis,com">MSellers#maxis,com</a>, Thu 14 Oct 1999, 19:24 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00062" HREF="msg00062.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] patents and muds</A></strong>,
Mik Clarke <a href="mailto:mikclrk#attglobal,net">mikclrk#attglobal,net</a>, Thu 14 Oct 1999, 21:29 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00063" HREF="msg00063.html">RE: [MUD-Dev] patents and muds</A></strong>,
Cynbe ru Taren <a href="mailto:cynbe#muq,org">cynbe#muq,org</a>, Thu 14 Oct 1999, 21:29 GMT
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00070" HREF="msg00070.html">[MUD-Dev] patents and muds</A></strong>,
Richard Bartle <a href="mailto:76703.3042#compuserve,com">76703.3042#compuserve,com</a>, Fri 15 Oct 1999, 17:32 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00072" HREF="msg00072.html">RE: [MUD-Dev] patents and muds</A></strong>,
Joe Andrieu <a href="mailto:joe#andrieu,net">joe#andrieu,net</a>, Fri 15 Oct 1999, 19:20 GMT
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00076" HREF="msg00076.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] patents and muds</A></strong>,
Scott Boding <a href="mailto:sboding#cybersource,com">sboding#cybersource,com</a>, Fri 15 Oct 1999, 20:39 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00082" HREF="msg00082.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] patents and muds</A></strong>,
Caliban Tiresias Darklock <a href="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</a>, Fri 15 Oct 1999, 22:51 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
</UL></BLOCKQUOTE>
</ul>
<hr>
<center>
[ <a href="../">Other Periods</a>
| <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a>
| <a href="/search.php3">Search</a>
]
</center>
<hr>
</body>
</html>