3 ms·

IA(ALSO)NAL, but it looks like the patent [1] was filed in Feb '07 - 4Sq didn't exist until '09. Doesn't mean I Like it - or software patents in general - any

IA(ALSO)NAL, but it looks like the patent [1] was filed in Feb '07 - 4Sq didn't exist until '09. Doesn't mean I Like it - or software patents in general - any more, but it doesn't look like they were as late to this game as their actual launch implied. [1] http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=facebook&OS=facebook&RS=facebook http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sec...

ryanwaggoner 16y ago
Foursquare was hardly the first startup to do this: Dodgeball was created by Crowley (one of the founders of Foursquare) in 2000. Loopt was founded in 2005. Whrrl, buzzd, and brightkite were all founded in 2007. There are probably dozens of other examples. EDIT: Had the wrong date for Dodgeball. Thanks Batsu!
- Batsu 16y ago
  Close - Dodgeball was created in 2000 and acquired by Google in 2005. In 2009, they discontinued Dodgeball in favor of Google Latitude. It looks as though prior art existed well before Facebook even existed. I don't think anyone has anything to worry about.
  - sbov 16y ago
    What about the cost of simply defending against a lawsuit? http://www.inventionstatistics.com/Patent_Litigation_Costs.html http://www.inventionstatistics.com/Patent_Litigation_Costs.h...
  - batasrki 16y ago
    If it's not enforceable, why the hell is it granted? That's total bullshit, seriously.
    - jdunck 16y ago
      Because the patent system in the US, particularly software patent, is entirely broken: http://www.bnet.com/blog/technology-business/patent-office-admits-the-truth-things-are-a-disaster/5419 http://www.bnet.com/blog/technology-business/patent-office-a...
- danielsoneg 16y ago
  Ah, ok - I don't know the history of the space that well. Either way it's a god-awful patent, but especially with clear prior art.
- asmithmd1 16y ago
  I had this idea in 2003 and have the Internet archive Wayback machine link to prove it: http://web.archive.org/web/20030706235741/http://gadgeteer.org/ideas.htm http://web.archive.org/web/20030706235741/http://gadgeteer.o... I did this as a defensive publication for just such a case http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defensive_publication http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defensive_publication
  - flipbrad 16y ago
    I love that you did that. What I would love even more is a project where people just post descriptions of ideas, publicly, so that a year or two down the line, patents can be blocked. What a service to the world: force companies to only get patents on TRULY innovative, non-obvious stuff, whilst the rest of the startup scene can take these admittedly obvious features and focus on executing them damn well without the fear of patent litigation.

ryanwaggoner 16y ago

Foursquare was hardly the first startup to do this: Dodgeball was created by Crowley (one of the founders of Foursquare) in 2000. Loopt was founded in 2005. Whrrl, buzzd, and brightkite were all founded in 2007. There are probably dozens of other examples. EDIT: Had the wrong date for Dodgeball. Thanks Batsu!

Batsu 16y ago
Close - Dodgeball was created in 2000 and acquired by Google in 2005. In 2009, they discontinued Dodgeball in favor of Google Latitude. It looks as though prior art existed well before Facebook even existed. I don't think anyone has anything to worry about.
- sbov 16y ago
  What about the cost of simply defending against a lawsuit? http://www.inventionstatistics.com/Patent_Litigation_Costs.html http://www.inventionstatistics.com/Patent_Litigation_Costs.h...
- batasrki 16y ago
  If it's not enforceable, why the hell is it granted? That's total bullshit, seriously.
  - jdunck 16y ago
    Because the patent system in the US, particularly software patent, is entirely broken: http://www.bnet.com/blog/technology-business/patent-office-admits-the-truth-things-are-a-disaster/5419 http://www.bnet.com/blog/technology-business/patent-office-a...
danielsoneg 16y ago
Ah, ok - I don't know the history of the space that well. Either way it's a god-awful patent, but especially with clear prior art.
asmithmd1 16y ago
I had this idea in 2003 and have the Internet archive Wayback machine link to prove it: http://web.archive.org/web/20030706235741/http://gadgeteer.org/ideas.htm http://web.archive.org/web/20030706235741/http://gadgeteer.o... I did this as a defensive publication for just such a case http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defensive_publication http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defensive_publication
- flipbrad 16y ago
  I love that you did that. What I would love even more is a project where people just post descriptions of ideas, publicly, so that a year or two down the line, patents can be blocked. What a service to the world: force companies to only get patents on TRULY innovative, non-obvious stuff, whilst the rest of the startup scene can take these admittedly obvious features and focus on executing them damn well without the fear of patent litigation.