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Wait, they are trying to patent tabs and hiding search results? You can seriously do that? Isn't that a little broad?
by mrchess 16y ago
Wait, they are trying to patent tabs and hiding search results? You can seriously do that? Isn't that a little broad?
- patrickaljord 16y agoYes, shame on them for that. I won't use their service for that reason.
- rewind 16y agoI think there's a big difference between applying for a patent for protection vs. applying for a patent to wield it as a sword. If your company could get a patent that it could use as a defense against a big company that held other similarly-ridiculous patents, but with the deep pockets to sue you, you'd be foolish not to at least consider it. Not liking the rules of a game is not reason enough to ignore them if it means your opponent will leverage those same rules to knock you out of the game altogether.
- mrkurt 16y agoThe patent answer was a response to "how are you going to protect your intellectual property and keep your competitors from imitating you?" Doesn't exactly sound defensive, does it? Keep in mind, too, that if Hipmunk is bought out by (say) Orbitz, Orbitz suddenly owns all their patents and will use them if they can.
- carbocation 16y ago> I think there's a big difference between applying for a patent for protection vs. applying for a patent to wield it as a sword. Patents for protection... Like Sun's patents, right?
- rewind 16y agoI didn't say that all patent applications are for protection.
- carbocation 16y agoI guess I was trying to express the following: I believe that Sun's patents really were intended defensively, but upon their acquisition by oracle this got turned on its head.
- rewind 16y agoGotcha. Didn't read it that way originally.
- carbocation 16y agoYeah, sorry, it came off snarkier than I had intended.
- revorad 16y agoSo what patent-free service will you use instead?
- mbesto 16y ago1. I seriously doubt they will care that they've lost one user. The mass amounts of people who could care less about that sort of thing won't care either. 2. Read the comments...they aren't happy about it: Re patents: it's a matter of corporate defense, much like insurance. If some big, entrenched competitor gets nervous about you eating their lunch, they'll do everything they can to stop you, including filing patent lawsuits. If you don't have any to fight back with (or cross-license with them), you could end up totally screwed. That's not to say I'm happy about it; the current patent system is a joke. 3. If anything you should pissed about the person who asked the question in the first place: "How are you going to protect intellectual property?" I got the impression Adam was ready for the question and had to put his fake "professionalist face" (notice how he does the very solid affirmative double nod in response to his question)