Software, Bar Code Patents, Trolls Getting Scrutiny
We've been following the Neomedia story over the last 15 months, and it attempts to earn revenue from its bar code patents. In the mean time the issue of software patents has been heating up on a national scale as more and more businesses have found themselves being harrassed by trolls with vague or overreaching patents and threatened with litigation if they don't cough up some royalties.
Two recent articles that are worth reading, if you have an interest in any of this are:
and
The Troll Toll - Inc Magazine February 2013 page 59
Of particular interest in the article is that Google has recently launched a free prior-art search tool. A site called AskPatents.com, is using crowdsourcing to find prior art and assess patent claims.
Personally, I am disappointed that a wonderful invention like the QR code, which was placed in the public domain by its creator - Denso Wave, is being exploited by others.
Is your company being sued over bar code patents? Write to us - we'd like to hear about it - the need for privacy is respected. Need help exposing an abuse of the patent system where it pertains to bar codes? Want to find others who are being sued for the same patent? Let's start a dialog.
More relevant articles:
https://barcode.com/201301101079/the-patent-problem-excellent-article-by-wired.html
https://barcode.com/201301081076/neomedia-signs-kraft-others-to-license-patents.html