Computer Cops: Ideaflood owns patent on Subdomains!?

[Zhen-Xjell]

Computer Cops recently found information on a company called Ideaflood that owns a US Patent on Subdomains and has recently been sending letters to small businesses requesting royalties. Will this bring small web hosting companies to an end? It certainly can have an adverse affect on PHP-Nuke hosting shops.

[mattsiegman]

Patents on things like subdomains and graphics formats suck. I don't know what anybody can do about it though

[Zacrifice]

I would love to see what will happen when every website owner who uses subdomains tells them to go shove it

Its a bit like Amazon owning the broud patent over one click buying, which is a bit stupid..

[Vin DSL]

Hrm... I wondered who invented subdomains. I thought it was Al Gore...

[the_ancient]

A while back a Company Claimed to own "ecommerce" or rather a patnent of purchasing good over the internet, I dont know what came out of it, but after the orginal press release I never heard anymore, and I suspect it will be the same here, if they ever go after a big boy they will be taken the court and the patent will be thrown out, that is a given....

[JPC-Greg]

We wouldnt give in to any such ludicrus demand or claim.

[mattsiegman]

w00t!

[Df_Gamer]

If the software creators filed for patents on the software, wouldn't the method or idea be included in the patent? Sounds to me like IdeaFlood is the one guilty of patent infringement. Even if they can claim to have "invented" the idea before software was written, patented and sold, the earliest patent trumps...

It will be interesting to see how the courts handle this example of predatory, legalistic extortion. Too bad some in the industry will have to foot the bill for the challenge.

[Connie]

I doubt that this will ever get to court.
They are trying to scare people into
paying. A few may. Suckers are born every day.
Jag has the right response.