Rick, Mitt, and Newt Sued Yesterday for Patent Infringement
Proving that patent issues are relevant to the entire population (yes, even politicians), yesterday a company named EveryMD sued Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, and Newt Gingrich for allegedly infringing USPN 7644122 titled “method apparatus and business system for online communications with online and offline recipients.” The patent describes the invention as:
The complaint was filed in the Central District of California (Western Division - Los Angeles), see civil docket 2:12-cv-01623-DDP-JEM. Unfortunately the complaint was not available online at the time of this posting.
Do you think these three guys have any idea whether their campaign is carrying out the following method?
Given my general disgust of everything political I never could have imagined writing about these three politicians and alleged patent infringement. Keep your eyes peeled for some upcoming “fund my patent infringement defense” dinners.
This confirms it, golf is so much more interesting than politics, although I bet I could write an interesting Saturday Night Live skit about this!
David Dawsey - An Apolitical Patent Attorney
The present invention comprises a method, apparatus and business system for allowing on-line communications with members of a group of recipients for whom the invention has been implemented. A group may, for example, comprise members of a particular business or profession. For example, a group may consist of doctors admitted to practice medicine in the United States. Individual members of the group may or may not have existing internet presences. The invention allows online users to communicate with each member of a given group regardless of whether or not the member has an existing internet presence. In one or more embodiments, the invention does so by setting up a database of contact information for members of the group, creating an internet presence for each member of such group, creating an on-line user interface allowing a user to access the member's created internet presence, and providing means of communications between the created internet presence and the member recipient.
The complaint was filed in the Central District of California (Western Division - Los Angeles), see civil docket 2:12-cv-01623-DDP-JEM. Unfortunately the complaint was not available online at the time of this posting.
Do you think these three guys have any idea whether their campaign is carrying out the following method?
1. A method for providing individual online presences for a each of a plurality of members of a group of members by an interface server computer comprising the steps of:
maintaining a database comprising information associated with each of said plurality of members at a database system connected to said interface server computer;
allotting individual URLS to each of said plurality of members by associating an individual URL with each individual member of said plurality of members in said database system;
associating an individual home page for each said individual member of said plurality of members with said individual URL allotted to said individual member in said database system, said individual home page comprising information from said database associated with said individual member; a first control for submitting a comment about said individual member; and a second control separate from said first control for sending a message other than said comment to said individual member;
receiving by said interface server an online request for said individual URL from a requesting source;
providing said individual home page by said interface server computer to said requesting source.
Given my general disgust of everything political I never could have imagined writing about these three politicians and alleged patent infringement. Keep your eyes peeled for some upcoming “fund my patent infringement defense” dinners.
This confirms it, golf is so much more interesting than politics, although I bet I could write an interesting Saturday Night Live skit about this!
David Dawsey - An Apolitical Patent Attorney
Comments