Microsoft has won a patent that could give the company control of certain essential features found in multiple email applications. The company was granted US patent number 6,895,426 on Tuesday. The patent covers, "treating electronic mail addresses as objects". Among other uses of this patent, Microsoft claims the technologies lets email addresses be added to a contact list easily: it also covers situations in which a user copies an address to a clipboard or double-clicks to access contact information that is relevant to an email address.
View: US patent number 6,895,426
News source: Macworld | UK
View: US patent number 6,895,426 News source: Macworld | UK
Changelog:
- - New: DRM WMA Playback supports out_wave
- New: Non-DRM WMA Playback allows any output plugin
- New: Community Picks AVS Preset Pack
- New: Windows Media Audio Ripping/Encoding
- New: Deletes in the Media Library now move files to the Recycle Bin
- New: NSV Subtitles can be disabled on the fly
- Fixed: gen_ml shutdown bug
- Fixed: Easy Move of video window back to normal *
- Fixed: Pause in WMA playback memory leak
- Fixed: Multi-monitor full screen video *
- Fixed: Drag and Drop in playlist editor *
- Fixed: Drag and Drop on Winamp *
- Fixed: Now Playing update on song change *
- Fixed: Media Library/Windows Media scanning errors *
- Fixed: Stay in fullscreen/Config mismatch *
- Fixed: Ctrl-B Crash *
- Fixed: Authentication for OGG/Vorbis streams
- Fixed: Drag and Drop strange behavior in open file dialogs
- Fixed: Stuttering WMA On Start and Seek
- Fixed: NSV Video stall during buffering
- Fixed: Autosize of video to be accurate to the Video size not snap size
- Fixed: Short NSV Clips audio cutout
- Update: Online Media tree is now dynamic (Checking can now be disabled)
- Update: Sonic Install/Config flag mismatch
- Update: CD Ripping/Burning Library (possible cause of msvcrt.dll errors)
- Other general small tweaks/bugfixes ;-)
In other words, by patenting even the most stupid looking ideas the companies are actually protecting themselves as well.
Those who think otherwise usually are confused in regard to copyright vs patents, or just people who likes patents because Microsoft likes them. *coughs coughs* Copyright will protect your expression of an idea. Those who likes to protect not only their expression of an idea, but in fact the idea itself are greedy b**tards.
Pantents are just there to be annoying in a software world.
*edit: Apparently the word you'd use to define a dog with mixed species, or people from SCO is censored. *shrugs*
GJ
lol that's so clever!
Oh great.
<sarcasm>
Yeah no other OS did this before like say OS/2 or NeXTStep.
</sarcasm>
Microsoft is Microsoft, since they have power and money, why not fire every possible patten as possible so other company won't come back and bite you...
Note to flamers and mac cult members: eat my shorts you lamers!
These software patents are nightmares. They stop innovation and don't help anyone.
Also, there's no reason to keep mentioning how much you hate Apple. Nobody cares.
BTW- I don't hate apple at all. Apple is good for MS. I just really hate their user base. Which when you consider the size of it, it's not that bad of a thing to hate.
Sniff sniff
Let me get this straight.... you'd prefer a company (and quite a big one at that) to protect their assets and future rather than protect freedom to innovate? To bring new, better ideas? MS is not the only software company in the world. New ideas that can bring more diversified, and better software to the consumer? (that is *you*).
I don't really get it. But then again I don't get those who dislike free spech, or spread hate against what they don't understand (read, fear) or what seems to different to them. And god knows the world is full of them.
I know I am wasting my time, you have a thick skull and will hang to your convictions no matter what. But I think this had to be said.
It's not meant "for you". I could write a big long explaination for you, like I've done previous times, however, let's just say even logic can't penitrate increadably thick things.
The comment is meant for any Neowin comment reader, to let them know that your opinions considered by others to be childish, and if they want more evidence, they can google up your posts.
It's mostly a case of, it's not worth my time to write up a paragraph for every simple trollish comment you make, as it would take way too much time, so I'll just flag your comment, and reply to the creatively trollish ones; people are far less likely to believe you if people are arguing with you and calling you a troll.
Damn, I think that qualifies for a paragraph.
*edit*
This thing was filed in 2000. Prior Art? Hello? MSFT did not even believe in the internet until it started to take off and were trying to push their MSN dialup service.
I remember trying out that service. It was worse than AOL.
Last edited by 18285 on 19 May 2005 - 16:24
Apple Computer was granted a patent for an enigmatically titled "Electronic device" Tuesday, May 10th, 2005.
Other interesting apple "inventions/patents":
The Trashcan!
The Progress Bar!
The Menubar!
Close, hide, expand and minimize buttons!
Sound synchronized to user interface object interactions!
Automated Tasks!
Chromatic window with a map!
An electronic device holder, also known as the belt clip!
A three state icon!
A dynamically changing cursor!
A universal interface for retrieval of information in a computer system!
A tablet mac!
LOL!!!!!
Now, PLEASE stop trolling.
Either that, or is stuck in 1997 on a 28.8 bauds modem.
This is the start of where the whole patent thing just goes mad and looses any credibility. People warned that sooner or later there would be patents on things like right clicking to select copy and paste, or highlighting a body of text for formatting and so on - and guess what, it's starting to happen. This is right up there on the same level as all of that nonsense.
Patents are supposed to protect innovation - but all this does is stifle it.
GJ
I agree though. Patents have gotten way out of hand, but the issue will never be resolved because nobody can agree on where the 'line' should be drawn. I simply can't stand slippery slope arguments, however, and would personally gnaw the testicles off of everyone spewing them if I could. Affectionately, of course.
I think they should be abolished altogether. Let copyrights and trademarks protect their products, it's enough.
No need to protect ideas or algorithms. That's devastating to technology evolution.
Everyone suffer from it, including Microsoft. They aren't even the company having the most patents.
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Microsoft is just responding to our ridiculous patent laws. They are not getting these patents so they can sue others. They are getting them to protect what they actually have implemented in their software from joe-nobody out there that has a patent on some similar idea but really has jack **** to show for it.
I seriously doubt they are going to start going after other email programs. And for those who can't ****ing read past the title: Microsoft DID NOT patent email!. Who approves these misleading titles anyway?
Then why are they lobbying the european parliament to get software patents approved on Europe?
yes and my horse can talk better bull then you
Care to explain you thoughts and ideas? Do you have any thoughts or ideas? Or is the alien emoticon the extent of your commenting capacity?
Although I to think the patent system is broken; I understand that companies need to protect themselves from other their competitors and other by grabbing every patent they can until the U.S. Congress decides to change things. We all know that has a snowballs chance in hell of happening so companies have to load up on patents to defend themselves from their enemies.
I mean do you realize that something as benign as the solution used to clean your laundry is also patented? It offers the inventor the ability to collect royalties through licensing as well as protection against copy cats.
Still companies like MS and Apple and all the others were in favour of software patents, so they probably deserve everything that is comming to them. They created this stupid situation - and now they are having to live with the concequences. But the problem is that it we the users who loose out - because even Microsoft could potentially run into patent issues that would prevent them from indulging in any form of genuine innovation.
Software patents just suck. Period.
GJ
Last edited by 13486 on 19 May 2005 - 22:08
I would think that would force any company to come up with their own idea to achieve a goal - not simply copy it.
GJ
no-one needs patents in the food industry.. they just keep everything a secret, and if the secret gets out.. its their own fault
Europe hasn't approved software patenting yet right? *I hope it hasn't*.
GJ
Why don't you use all the energy to construct something worth saying in the first place?
ST
lol, so your saying that if MS disappeared one day, the whole world would stop? Tone down on the hyperboles there.
If MS disappeared it would cause many problems for a short while in the IT world, but quickly other minority OSes would "step up to the plate" to replace the dominent OS; the average Joe wouldn't have much of a change in their daily lives.
Major companies go out of business all the time. What happens? The smaller companies grab a hold of the marketshare, and the world continues.
fjv.
point!
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