[norswap]

I wouldn't hold up in any serious suit, but it could be a good patent trolling weapon. Let's hope that when IBM inevitably goes the way of the cuckoo, this does not fall in the wrong hand and/or patent reform has happened by them (fat chance imho).

[auxym]

If that patent was filed in 98, it expired in 2018.

[mrfusion]

I wonder if lots of bad parents have expired or are expiring soon? I remember reading the most dumb patents on slashdot in the early 2000s so maybe.

[vikramkr]

Software patents have gotten a lot harder to get with a lot more stringent a set of requirements than at the start of the dot com boom, at least as of the Alice ruling in 2014. It could always be reversed, but for now, most of these really bad patents are going to die out/be invalidated and hopefully reduce the power of patent trolls

[rhacker]

I guess we can all thank the original dot-com boom for creating a bunch of patents a little over 20 years ago! :P

[Cederfjard]

Irrelevant nitpick: I believe the saying you’re after is ”going the way of the dodo”, referring to the fact that dodo birds are extinct. Cuckoos are still extant.

Although you can also ”go cuckoo”, as in crazy.

[norswap]

Haha you're right, thanks! Something was rubbing me the wrong way as I wrote it but I couldn't figure it out.

[lolinder]

It's already expired, so no danger at all.

[lrem]

Chances are they obtained about 500 patents of similar reach per year. This is an arms race, with companies aiming to be able to countersue any patent infringement with hundreds of patent infringements the other way.

[rwmj]

You're completely correct. Every big software company encourages their developers to apply for patents on everything they can think of, using cash bonuses and recognition. It's absolutely an arms race, because any company that didn't do this would be standing naked if a patent troll decided to sue. It really demonstrates the ridiculousness of the patent system and how far away it is from the original intentions (even assuming those original intentions are worthwhile, which is dubious).

[jlarocco]

Patent trolls don't produce anything that can infringe on a patent, so having a patent portfolio does nothing to protect against them.

A patent portfolio helps when a competitor claims their patent is being infringed. A company with a large patent portfolio can cross-license patents and avoid a lawsuit.