Re: [ARSCLIST] MP3 patent dispute

["Steven C. Barr(x)" <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Olhsson" <olh@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Tom Fine wrote:
> >...No way every licensee of MP3 for
> >playback didn't dot the
> >i's and cross the t's years ago.
>
> According to a friend of mine who is a student of the tales of David Sarnoff,
this is only the tip of an iceberg.
>
> The entire personal computer industry was built on playing fast and loose with
intellectual property. Now that everybody has consolidated, the game becomes
trying to earn money from operations as opposed to selling more dreams to
investors. Each of these companies has a team of lawyers going over exactly what
technology each owns and what might be done about the massive levels of patent
infringement that exist everywhere.
>
In the meantime, there exist companies whose strategy is just to buy up
obscure patents from the original owners, with the intent of finding some
supposed "infringement" by some firm...and then use their high-class
lawyers to try and collect some money (so they will "go away and quit
bothering" the target...

Steven C. Barr