4 ms·

The patent involved basic traffic encryption (SSL or TLS combined with the RC4 cipher), and the company already has made $45 million off it. Here's some more i

The patent involved basic traffic encryption (SSL or TLS combined with the RC4 cipher), and the company already has made $45 million off it. Here's some more info on the company they lost to: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20121109/02321120982/meet-patent-troll-suing-hundreds-companies-encrypting-web-traffic.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20121109/02321120982/meet-p... TL;DR: They're patent trolls.

MereInterest 13y ago
>the company already has made $45 million off it I know that saying "made" is the generic form for acquiring money through any means. However, it also carries the connotations of production, of creation. I would rather say that they have already extorted $45 million using it.
- mbennett 13y ago
  The worst thing about this award is that it gives them more money to launch even more patent lawsuits against more companies.
- arh68 13y ago
  Well since Newegg made the money, perhaps TQP was awarded the $45M that Newegg et al made, or TQP was shown to deserve the $45M that Newegg et al made. But you're right, let's be clear: TQP didn't create any wealth here. EDIT: I'm mixing numbers. Not all of the 45M was from Newegg.
- reginaldjcooper 13y ago
  If the copyright enthusiasts can misuse legal terminology to refer to copyright infringement as actual theft, I say let's go ahead and call this a theft as well. We'd be closer to the truth.
yeukhon 13y ago
So they have six more years to sue. Can they renew and is there any plan they will renew this? Even though RC4 is no longer recommended I don't see us moving away from it for another 5-6 years given many servers probably can't upgrade to newer ciphers (I am thinking about those old RedHat servers). Correct me if I am wrong though.
- josaka 13y ago
  I think the patent has expired. Patent apps issued before June 8, 1995 have a 17 year term from issuance. 35 U.S.C. 154. This patent issued in May 1995. See "date of patent" in upper right corner of the pdf doc.
  - yeukhon 13y ago
    I know that. The article said they have 6 graceful years after expiration. My question is can they renew it?
    - Athas 13y ago
      Patents can never be renewed. That's the entire point of patent systems: limited-time monopoly.
      - falcolas 13y ago
        Not entirely true. Pharmaceutical patents can be effectively renewed if a new use for an already patented drug is discovered.
        Tloewald 13y ago
        They can also attach a molecule to the side of an existing drug and patent that, and then stop manufacturing or marketing the original drug.
        axus 13y ago
        I've wondered, how does that prevent a generic version of the original from appearing? Clever marketing and control of their product isn't good but it's not evil.
        Tloewald 13y ago
        Most generics are in fact manufactured by the original patent holder and sold to third parties (or in some cases marketed by a subsidiary with a different name). Setting up a manufacturing process for a drug is often non-trivial, so if the original manufacturer stops producing a drug, it may not be worth anyone else's while to (a) create a factory, and (b) get their version of the drug through safety testing, etc. (I'm no expert, but I did work with pharmaceutical companies for about a decade, and in many cases they were manufacturing selling brand name and generic drugs side-by-side, or selling brand name in some markets and generics in others -- all from the same factory.)

MereInterest 13y ago

>the company already has made $45 million off it I know that saying "made" is the generic form for acquiring money through any means. However, it also carries the connotations of production, of creation. I would rather say that they have already extorted $45 million using it.

mbennett 13y ago
The worst thing about this award is that it gives them more money to launch even more patent lawsuits against more companies.
arh68 13y ago
Well since Newegg made the money, perhaps TQP was awarded the $45M that Newegg et al made, or TQP was shown to deserve the $45M that Newegg et al made. But you're right, let's be clear: TQP didn't create any wealth here. EDIT: I'm mixing numbers. Not all of the 45M was from Newegg.
reginaldjcooper 13y ago
If the copyright enthusiasts can misuse legal terminology to refer to copyright infringement as actual theft, I say let's go ahead and call this a theft as well. We'd be closer to the truth.

yeukhon 13y ago

So they have six more years to sue. Can they renew and is there any plan they will renew this? Even though RC4 is no longer recommended I don't see us moving away from it for another 5-6 years given many servers probably can't upgrade to newer ciphers (I am thinking about those old RedHat servers). Correct me if I am wrong though.

josaka 13y ago
I think the patent has expired. Patent apps issued before June 8, 1995 have a 17 year term from issuance. 35 U.S.C. 154. This patent issued in May 1995. See "date of patent" in upper right corner of the pdf doc.
- yeukhon 13y ago
  I know that. The article said they have 6 graceful years after expiration. My question is can they renew it?
  - Athas 13y ago
    Patents can never be renewed. That's the entire point of patent systems: limited-time monopoly.
    - falcolas 13y ago
      Not entirely true. Pharmaceutical patents can be effectively renewed if a new use for an already patented drug is discovered.
      - Tloewald 13y ago
        They can also attach a molecule to the side of an existing drug and patent that, and then stop manufacturing or marketing the original drug.
        axus 13y ago
        I've wondered, how does that prevent a generic version of the original from appearing? Clever marketing and control of their product isn't good but it's not evil.
        Tloewald 13y ago
        Most generics are in fact manufactured by the original patent holder and sold to third parties (or in some cases marketed by a subsidiary with a different name). Setting up a manufacturing process for a drug is often non-trivial, so if the original manufacturer stops producing a drug, it may not be worth anyone else's while to (a) create a factory, and (b) get their version of the drug through safety testing, etc. (I'm no expert, but I did work with pharmaceutical companies for about a decade, and in many cases they were manufacturing selling brand name and generic drugs side-by-side, or selling brand name in some markets and generics in others -- all from the same factory.)