Robert Kern wrote:
I don't know the details [...]
Neither do I, but...
I'm also willing to bet that the patent won't hold up in court because there's quite a lot of prior art with respect to cryptographic hashes, too.
The problem with that is that someone needs to be able to *afford* to challenge it in court. Even patents that are blatantly non-original on the face of things can be difficult and expensive to challenge. Most companies would rather just avoid the legal risks involved in making such a challenge, and most individuals can't afford the kind of legal team that'd be necessary.
I'll join in encouraging Europeans to do their best to reject these styles of patents. It's a bit too late for the US, but maybe if we have concrete examples of the benefits of limiting patents then there might be hope for the future. And if things get too bad here, I'd like to have somewhere pleasant to emigrate to. ;)
Jeff Shannon Technician/Programmer Credit International
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