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Posts with tag vonage verizon

Filed under: Business, Developer, Finance, Microsoft

Software Patents - good or evil?

PatentsThe New York Times published an opinion piece by Timothy B. Lee yesterday that compares the current patent conflict between Vonage and Verizon to the software patent landscape of the early 1990's. Back then, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates published a memo to Microsoft's senior management extolling the evils of software patents, claiming that they could lead to a complete stall in technological advancement.

Of course, today Microsoft owns a massive number of patents, and actively uses them to protect their position in the market. And the Vonage / Verizon patent dispute is a shining example of how patents can be used to attempt to kill technological advancement.

So, here's your chance to sound off and spout your opinion. We want to know if the ability to acquire a patent for a software process is good, or evil. For the purposes of this discussion, "good" is defined as supporting technological advancement, whereas "evil" refers to technological stagnation. As much as the example given here clearly shows a bias, there are probably good arguments from both sides of this debate; let's hear them.

Filed under: News, VoIP

Vonage seeks new trial against Verizon

Vonage v VerizonSo a court decides that your entire business model is based on a technology that infringes on another company's patents. What do you do?

Well, if your Vonage and the other company is Verizon, apparently you seek a retrial. It's not unusual for defendants to seek a retrial in addition to appealing. Usually there's not much chance of getting the new trial, but this time Vonage is hoping a recent Supreme Court ruling regarding obvious patents will help the company make its case.

Vonage has asked the Appeals Court considering its case to halt the appeals process and send the case back to a lower court for a new trial. Vonage's lawyers are arguing that the jury in the first trial were weighing the evidence based on a rigid definition of patent law. Tuesday's Supreme Court ruling means that the definition may have been too rigid.

While the courts have allowed Vonage to continue operations during the appeals process, the company hasn't had much good news in recent months. A retrial could rescue Vonage from the brink of death.

Featured Time Waster

Forumwarz - a potentially offensive time waster

I pwn UAfter spending the better part of an hour on Forumwarz I still can't decide if it's just sick or if it's kind of fun. It's a bit like a car wreck on the highway. I know I shouldn't be looking but I can't quite turn away.

It's sick, it's twisted, it's the internet on it's worst level and darn it, it's kind of fun. At least for a little while.

Forumwarz is a parody role-playing game that takes place on the internet - or at least the Forumwarz version of it. Your goal is to complete missions that are given to you through a mock up of GoogleTalk called Sentrillion.

Your first "friend" is ShallowEsophagus who begins giving you missions to pwn various forums by being a troll. Depending on the character type you are assigned at start up, you have tools like drooling on the keyboard or bashing your head on the keyboard that you can use to destroy forum threads and eventually, pwn a forum.

Future missions involve buying illegal software from the Russians, pwning more difficult forums and other internet oddness.

Completing missions gives you cash, called Flezz in game, and items that you can pawn or use in other missions. The game is NOT for those easily offended. It's crass, coarse and there are frequent f-bombs in the fake chat sessions.

This is also a game for a more mature audience as it requires you to shop at the Drugs R Fun store to get various concoctions to improve your playing, engage in certain cyber activities to get more Flezz and just generally use a more adult perspective.

If you can get past that, here are the more enjoyable and time-wasting aspects.

View more Time Wasters

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