Comments on: Who's Rates Technology Inc.?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 31 Dec 2005 19:51:56 +0000

The idea of long copyrights and patents is an old royal-favor idea. This suggests immediately that the whole notion is dubious. Add to this, effective devaluation of possessed knowledge to zero (you paid what for your last google search?), add additionally that the whole idea of “knowledge work” arose in the context of the 1950's and 1960's (when information was hard to get at, among other things) and that things have Really Changed, and the whole IP conversation seems just a tad weird.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 31 Dec 2005 12:17:54 +0000

Mark,
You are not a subscriber of Google Talk, I can see that. The service provides links only between computers. It does not involve any phone connection.
RTI legal crew does not have any technical background.
RTI's lawsuit has no merit.
Dorin

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 30 Dec 2005 19:52:13 +0000

I'm not sure if I understand how “least cost routing” applies here.
To a lay person, neither patent seems relevant here. This definitely looks like a David fishing for some quick cash. I hope Google doesn't roll over.

By: Mathew

Mathew — Wed, 28 Dec 2005 21:49:36 +0000

It's an interesting issue, Mark. If the founder of Rates developed least-cost routing in the 1970s (and I don't know whether he did or not) shouldn't he be entitled to patent that and then sue companies who don't want to license his technology? Should he be prevented from doing so just because he doesn't make anything? Thomas Edison didn't make very many things either, but he was still a great inventor with plenty of patents.