3 ms·

Worth a mention they are fighting a patent troll right now https://voicebot.ai/2020/03/04/mycroft-ais-legal-war-against-a-patent-troll-heats-up/ https://voicebo

by nshm 7y ago

Worth a mention they are fighting a patent troll right now https://voicebot.ai/2020/03/04/mycroft-ais-legal-war-against-a-patent-troll-heats-up/ https://voicebot.ai/2020/03/04/mycroft-ais-legal-war-against...

choward 7y ago
Wow. The patent is for "Using voice commands from a mobile device to remotely access and control a computer". That's so obvious it's laughable. How was this patent granted?
- CameronNemo 7y ago
  Patents are not granted for what they achieve, but instead how they achieve it. So the patent is for a specific methodology of "using voice commands [...]". Not that the content of the patent is novel -- I have not looked deep into it personally. It is likely a general BS methodology that the troll never used for a real product.
- ALittleLight 7y ago
  Once at a meeting to discuss the patent application the presenter mentioned how Jeff Bezos patented "one click buy" - i.e. Buying something with a single click. I asked why we didn't patent "2-n click buy" to prevent any competitors from selling anything. Everyone laughed but I meant it seriously. I still don't get how "1 click buy" is a thing you can patent but you can't patent "2 click buy". The patent process is incredibly stupid and arbitrary as far as I can tell - at least when it comes to software.
  - jszymborski 7y ago
    FWIW, there was a patent troll trying to get people for the idea of "online shopping carts" which is pretty much "two-click buy" imo. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/01/how-newegg-crushed-the-shopping-cart-patent-and-saved-online-retail/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/01/how-newegg-crush...
- PunksATawnyFill 7y ago
  The USPTO is basically derelict at this point. All we can do, I guess, is write to our representatives and demand that software and "business-method" patents be codified as ILLEGAL.

3 ms·

Worth a mention they are fighting a patent troll right now https://voicebot.ai/2020/03/04/mycroft-ais-legal-war-against-a-patent-troll-heats-up/ https://voicebo

by nshm 7y ago

choward 7y ago
Wow. The patent is for "Using voice commands from a mobile device to remotely access and control a computer". That's so obvious it's laughable. How was this patent granted?
- CameronNemo 7y ago
  Patents are not granted for what they achieve, but instead how they achieve it. So the patent is for a specific methodology of "using voice commands [...]". Not that the content of the patent is novel -- I have not looked deep into it personally. It is likely a general BS methodology that the troll never used for a real product.
- ALittleLight 7y ago
  Once at a meeting to discuss the patent application the presenter mentioned how Jeff Bezos patented "one click buy" - i.e. Buying something with a single click. I asked why we didn't patent "2-n click buy" to prevent any competitors from selling anything. Everyone laughed but I meant it seriously. I still don't get how "1 click buy" is a thing you can patent but you can't patent "2 click buy". The patent process is incredibly stupid and arbitrary as far as I can tell - at least when it comes to software.
  - jszymborski 7y ago
    FWIW, there was a patent troll trying to get people for the idea of "online shopping carts" which is pretty much "two-click buy" imo. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/01/how-newegg-crushed-the-shopping-cart-patent-and-saved-online-retail/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/01/how-newegg-crush...
- PunksATawnyFill 7y ago
  The USPTO is basically derelict at this point. All we can do, I guess, is write to our representatives and demand that software and "business-method" patents be codified as ILLEGAL.