Altnet, subsidiary of Brilliant Digital
Entertainment, developers of P2P technology, has said Thursday that
rival file-sharing networks are violating its patent for digital tags. The
technique is used to identify files on file-sharing networks using a digital
fingerprint:
 Altnet acquired rights to a 1999 patent that the company says
covers the technique of identifying files on peer-to-peer networks using a
"hash," or digital fingerprint based on the contents of the file. The
company plans to approach virtually all other peer-to-peer services to
seek license rights.
"Altnet is very focused on the
infringement of the TrueNames patent and we believe that many of today's
active peer-to-peer applications may be in direct violation," Altnet CEO
Kevin Bermeister said in a statement. "We're very focused on preserving
the integrity of the patent and realizing the potential it offers
peer-to-peer applications and content owners."
Nevertheless, there is a growing
sentiment in technology circles that many patents granted by the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office are most likely seriously flawed. Among other
things, the agency has granted patents for side-to-side swinging on a
swing set and for making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without a
crust.
Patent number 5,978,791, which Altnet
licensed Thursday, has been litigated at least once before, when content
delivery services provider Digital Island used it in a dispute with rival
Akamai. A jury rejected Digital Island's claims in December 2001,
according to a statement published on Akamai's Web
site. |
Read the complete article here.
Source: News.com
