IP: Pay to Play - All Audio/Video Downloads are Patented

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

From: "Robert Raisch" <raisch () internautics com>
To: "Dave Farber" <farber () cis upenn edu>


(*sigh* Yippee! New overbroad patents over which to fight, this time regarding
any transmission of audio or video content over the Internet. Perhaps the most
interesting part of either patent is that the format of the "digital audio
signal" is not specified, so the patent covers the process of transmission
over telecommunications lines and not the form or encoding of the content.
This then appears to cover any transmission of audio or video, from one memory
to another, over "telecommunications lines" which explicitly (US5675734:claim
17) include telephone lines. /rr)

The Battle Over Online Music
Wired News - Sightsound.com, a tiny company that owns a patent for selling
music through online downloads, is demanding that other music companies pay
licensing fees or face patent-infringement lawsuits.
Full Story:
http://www.wired.com/news/news/email/explode-infobeat/business/story/17622.htm
l

(This is one paragraph from a cease and desist letter received by MP3.COM, one
of the largest online music downloaders. /rr)

Company Demands 1% Of Online Music
MP3.COM - SIGHTSOUND.COM is offering a One Year Limited Patent License to
companies like yours so that you can receive the protection of Patents
5,191,573 and 5,675,734. The royalty rate for the License is one percent (1%)
of the total price charged to customers per transaction for the download sale
of music or other audio recordings. http://www.mp3.com/news/159.html

Patent 5,191,573 - Method for transmitting a desired digital video or audio
signal (Issued/Filed Dates: March 2, 1993 / Sept. 18, 1990)
http://www.patents.ibm.com/patlist?icnt=US&patent_number=5191573

Patent 5,675,734 - System for transmitting desired digital video or audio
signals (Issued/Filed Dates: Oct. 7, 1997 / Feb. 27, 1996)
http://www.patents.ibm.com/patlist?icnt=US&patent_number=5675734

--
Robert Raisch, Internet Hired Gun <http://www.raisch.com>
Chaos reigns within-Reflect, repent, and reboot-Order shall return