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How companies could patent key (and free) parts of the Web
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| By Patrick Houston: Editorial Director, AnchorDesk |
| Tuesday, October 2, 2001 |
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The story:
How companies could patent key (and free) parts of the Web
Music. Linux. Java. Sigh. Is this yet another hoary intellectual property rights controversy coming upon us--this time involving the very foundations of the Web? Perhaps. The World Wide Web Consortium, or W3C, the body that develops standards for the Web's widespread use, is contemplating a plan that could pave the way for companies to claim patent rights--and royalties--on certain core Web technologies that have been in use for free.
That proposal, which was crafted by W3C members representing the likes of Microsoft, Apple Computer, Hewlett-Packard, and Philips Electronics, has driven some developers to arms. Reason: They claim it could give commercial interests undue sway and chill innovation. There will be lots of time to hear out both sides on the issue, though. The W3C isn't expected to make a decision on the plan before February 2002. Go to the full story by Mike Ricciuti and Margaret Kane.
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The story:
Microsoft to Mac fans: Who luvs ya, baby?
There's no love lost between most Apple Mac users and Microsoft. But there's a little part of Microsoft's heart that belongs to Apple--completely and totally. It's the group that makes Microsoft software for the Mac. It's come up with a new version of Office for the Apple OS X operating system. And it had planned to use the launch last month to declare its adorations. But a scheduled media blitz and a trade show debut for Office v.X, as it's been dubbed, were cancelled by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. However, the Microsoft Macintosh group will not go unrequited. Starting yesterday, it began a push to reach Mac maniacs via full-color, two-page spreads in several Macintosh-specific magazines, including Macworld, MacDirectory, and MacAddict. Go to the full story by Pui-Wing Tam of the Wall Street Journal.
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The story:
20/20 hindsight: Why Excite@Home failed
There's a huge market for fast Internet access. And if you ask anyone who already has a broadband connection, they'll tell you they'd never, ever, go back to dial-up. With the pipelines already paid for and in place, cable systems seemed perfectly poised to take advantage of what is undoubtedly the wave of the future. Indeed, no company appeared better positioned for success than Excite@Home, which became the ISP of choice for huge cable companies such as AT&T, Cox, and Comcast. Yet last Friday, Excite@Home, suffocating under $1 billion of debt, became yet another high-profile casualty of the dot-com bust. What happened? Ask Will Hearst, the venture capitalist who helped found the Excite@Home service and who watched it undo itself from a front-row seat. What does he say? The cable operators who sat on Excite@Home's board wanted an ISP and nothing more, while the execs at Excite@Home wanted a national brand and another AOL. Go to the full story by Ben Heskett and Jeff Pelline.
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MORE NEWS WORTH NOTING:
Do you think commercial companies have a right to patent certain parts of the Web? Or would that dampen innovation? TalkBack to me!
Patrick Houston is the editorial director at AnchorDesk and is also the former executive producer for ZDNet News. He can be reached at patrick.houston@anchordesk.com.
For more tech news and up-to-the-minute headlines, go to ZDNet News.
