Would a Recission of the Eolas Patent be Good News or Bad?
How should we feel about the rapid response of the PTO to the W3C’s call for review of the Eolas patent? The good news for Web surfers is that a non-fee resolution to the issue may be on the horizon. But at the same time, is this any way to run a patent system? After all, Microsoft (no slouch in the legal department) failed to successfully challenge the patent in court. So will justice be served by the PTO intervening? And would those involved in a less-public patent have been able to gain a review by the PTO? Of course, if the PTO rescinds the patent, the legal expense and the uncertainty that the case has unleashed on the marketplace will have been considerable. Many companies and the W3C will have experienced a great diversion of resources and distraction from other business as a result of what would prove to have been an inappropriately granted patent. In that light, a rescission by the PTO can scarcely be considered to be unmitigated good news. The FTC Weighs in. While the Eolas l
