Kodak wins Java lawsuit

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

My only opinion of that court ruling would most likely find me in  
contempt. djf


Begin forwarded message:

From: Bob Frankston <rmfxixB0406 () bobf frankston com>
Date: October 3, 2004 2:09:22 PM EDT
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Cc: "David P. Reed" <dpreed () reed com>, Alan Kay <alan () squeakland org>
Subject: Kodak wins Java lawsuit

Found this from Slashdot  
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/10/03/1352252

 

In search I found an initial reference from Feb 13, 2002  
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-836322.html

 

As far as I can tell Wang patented object invocation in the 1990’s. The  
claims seem to describe a particular invocation and matching algorithm  
but nothing especially novel. I’m also puzzled by how those patents are  
extended to claim that byte code interpreters are in violation. I guess  
all those programs from the 60’s and 70’s are now subject to  
litigation.

 

Am I missing something here? I don't need to ask if the world has gone  
mad – that’s a given. But what’s going on here?

 

I note that this story is from a Rochester paper …

 

http://www.rochesterdandc.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041002/ 
BUSINESS/410020333&SearchID=73185676035359

 

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Kodak wins Java lawsuit


 It returns to court next week to seek $1.06 billion in damages from Sun




What's at stake
 Kodak will be asking a federal jury to award more than $1 billion in 
damages in connection with a patent lawsuit. Analysts say the money 
could help  provide a financial cushion as Kodak shifts from chemical 
to computerized  imaging.



Ben Rand
 Staff writer

(October 2, 2004) —

 Eastman Kodak Co. will return to U.S. District Court next week to seek 
$1 billion in damages from Sun Microsystems Inc. now that a federal 
jury has ruled in its favor in a dispute over the Java computer 
language.

The jury decided in Rochester on Friday that Sun infringed on 
technology belonging to Kodak when it developed and introduced Java 
more than a decade ago. The computer language is now used heavily by 
software developers, on the Internet and in computer schools.

……………………

Rochester's largest employer claimed during a three-week trial that 
portions of Java infringed on patents Kodak purchased from Wang 
Laboratories Inc. in late 1997.

The patents describe a method by which a program can "ask for help" 
from another application to carry out certain computer-oriented 
functions. That's generally similar to the way Java operates, according 
to Kodak and other experts

…………………….

 

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