In another example of stupid vague software patents being used for easy money, Kodak has just won a case against Sun on the basis of a process that is intrinsic to programming. That of one program quering another program, a widespread and basic software process.
Kodak want one billion dollars to be handed over to them because of the verdict.
Read about it at news.com.
The patenting of vague ideas in software has to stop if software is to continue evolving. Half of the problem in this case is that the laymen in the court didn’t understand that the idea was a basic software process and therefore the patents should never have been granted in the first place. I’d also guess Sun will appeal this.
Rgds
Franki
