AOL patents instant messaging

[J. Spaceman]

Read it here.

[Kero-chan]

Originally posted by J. Spaceman
Read it here.

hehe, it's kinda funny that M$ is screwed with im, but it does really suck how all the major corps try to patent everything that should be open source... i mean, it's not like aol is making a big profit off icq since it's free(afaik)
all that sort of crap does is hurt small developers and upstart businesses.
before long, there wont be any other business other than time warner/aol and M$. kinda scary.

[Caesar War]

Well, I think they did actually started it didnt they ? (AOL's IM thingie a long time ago, or ICQ which to sum things up its now part of AOL) so correct me if Im mistaken, but they do deserve the patent thing.

What we need to see is how are they gonna use the patent. Are they gonna start suing everybody who uses IM ? are they gonna start asking for money ? Will they stop open source IM projects ? I dont think they will, and if they were to, people will find a way to get back at them.

[Kero-chan]

Originally posted by Caesar War
Well, I think they did actually started it didnt they ? (AOL's IM thingie a long time ago, or ICQ which to sum things up its now part of AOL) so correct me if Im mistaken, but they do deserve the patent thing.

What we need to see is how are they gonna use the patent. Are they gonna start suing everybody who uses IM ? are they gonna start asking for money ? Will they stop open source IM projects ? I dont think they will, and if they were to, people will find a way to get back at them.

still, something like that is going a little far right? that's like saying i'm bill gates and i created the first OS so i'm going to patent it, and nobody can make another OS. (and yeah i know bill didnt invent the first OS)
at least that's my understanding of the im situation...
all i use is icq, but i just feel sorry for all those people who deserve variety and may not like the features of icq/aim.
i just dont see how this patent is constructive or protective of anything in any way.

[Caesar War]

Well thats what Im saying, we need to see how they handle this patent thing. I mean, they could still own it and let other companies (yahoo, ms, etc) do IM without charging them, I know it's a long shot, but still it can happen

I guess time will tell about how all this goes.

[steppy76]

Originally posted by Caesar War
Well, I think they did actually started it didnt they ? (AOL's IM thingie a long time ago, or ICQ which to sum things up its now part of AOL) so correct me if Im mistaken, but they do deserve the patent thing.

What we need to see is how are they gonna use the patent. Are they gonna start suing everybody who uses IM ? are they gonna start asking for money ? Will they stop open source IM projects ? I dont think they will, and if they were to, people will find a way to get back at them.

I think they both are basically direct descendants of IRC...the patent office dropped the ball on this one.

[Wreck-It]

still, something like that is going a little far right? that's like saying i'm bill gates and i created the first OS so i'm going to patent it, and nobody can make another OS

No MS was'nt the first, and neither were they first for the GUI. Rmember commodores, tandy VIC20s and those? They all had GUIs, and the firt OSes were invented with the first computers. An operating system is like fuel, you can't put a patent on a fuel, now can you? for the GUI, well seems like it's the same thing, as for concepts such as IM, patents are even motre ridiculous, albeit the end of MSN IM would probably do more good than harm, since MSN is a notorious powerhog, and that it has to run in the background...

[Nick_B]

Originally posted by Wreck-It


No MS was'nt the first, and neither were they first for the GUI. Rmember commodores, tandy VIC20s and those? They all had GUIs, and the firt OSes were invented with the first computers.

Did you bother to read his whole post. Literally, the sentence after your quote ended he said:

Originally posted by Kero-chan


(and yeah i know bill didnt invent the first OS)

[mynameis]

that seems like to broad of a concept to be able to be patented